Belmont's Elli Rose makes €6,700 donation in memory of late grandmother

By Rebekah O'Reilly

Belmont native Elli Rose, aged 10, has made a significant donation to the Friends of the Midland Regional Hospital Tullamore in memory of her late nanny.

The 10-year-old raised €6,700 in memory of her nanny Rosemarie Kearns, after she cut her gorgeous locks on Wednesday, July 30. She also donated her hair to the Laura Lynn Foundation.

"Elli Rose was incredibly close with her nanny," said her mum, and Rosemarie's daughter, Anita Kearns Clancy. "The children spent everyday with her, she was like their second mother really."

Rosemarie Kearns died in April of this year, just a month after celebrating her 70th birthday on March 2. She was a key member of staff at Midland Regional Hospital Tullamore, where she spent 32 years of her career.

Anita said Elli Rose was inspired by her grandmother's kindness: "She said 'I want to be kind like nanny was, and I just want to give back so that somebody else's nanny might not die so suddenly'.

"It just shows how much she has thought about it, and reflects the values of kindness and compassion that we have in our family, which nanny Rosemarie played a big role in giving to our children."