Mother pays tribute to homeless daughter found dead in Stafford
The heartbroken mother of a woman who was found dead in a town centre has paid tribute to her daughter.
Jayne Simpson’s body was discovered near the junction of Bridge Street and Greengate Street, close to RBS, in Stafford last month.
Emergency services attended the scene, but nothing could be done to save the 53-year-old.
Now Jayne’s grieving mother, Pat Gardener, is hoping her daughter, who was homeless, will leave a ‘positive legacy’ of more being doing to help the homeless.
She said: “I never gave up on her and what’s happened is heartbreaking.
"She was a genuinely lovely person and underneath all that she was in desperate need of help – all homeless people are.
"Jayne used to tell me that the homeless look after each other, but they still need others to reach out, it means the world to them.
“I want everybody everywhere never to pass a homeless person and not respond in some way.
"Whether it is reporting it to the correct authorities or speaking to that person and offering help.”
Mrs Gardener revealed her daughter’s life started spiralling out of control when she was still a teenager and from there she became an alcoholic.
She said: “As a child she was an ordinary girl, really nice and kind. She loved trampolining. But she started drinking at 15 and it progressed over the years. Jayne was a lovely person when she wasn’t drunk.”
Her mother says she did everything she could to help her daughter but with little success.
“When I first found out she was homeless I was horrified,” she added.
“I sent money, but it was being spent on drink, so I sent it to others who could go shopping for her.
"I called her often, at least three times a week as I worried about her – I supported her in every way I could.
“But there was a pattern, she spoke about getting off the drink, and things seemed to be going well, but then she’d start again.”
Jayne, of no fixed address, was confirmed dead at 6.30am on July 11.
The area near the bank was cordoned off for several hours while a forensic investigation was carried out, but no suspicious circumstances were found.
Now Stafford charity House of Bread is raising money for Jayne’s funeral.
The service will take place at Stafford Crematorium on August 9 at 2pm.
To donate, visit localgiving.org/appeal/jaynesimpson or give cheques payable to the house of Bread or cash to their café at 43 Browning Street, Stafford.
For more information call 01785 243492.
