A POWYS accountant will be holding a charity picnic in memory of a beloved aunt next month.

Rob Ellis, 44, will be holding a workplace picnic in the grounds of his office at The Fort Business Centre, in Park Hall near Oswestry on Tuesday, August 10 between 12.30 and 2pm.

Rob, who recently moved his accountancy firm Welch and Ellis into the building, has a special reason to host the event in aid of the Royal Osteoporosis Society, as his late aunt, Joan Ellis, had the condition which sadly played a part in her death from Covid-19, earlier in 2021.

Rob, who lives in Llanfechain with his wife, Jo and five-year-old son Samuel, said: “Aunt Joan had osteoporosis and as a result she was very afraid of having a fall, especially after her husband died.

"My wife and I had just managed to move her into sheltered housing, where she felt much safer, at the end of 2020 but she still had a fall which due to her condition resulted in a broken hip.

“She was taken into hospital where she was doing well, and they were started getting her moving with physiotherapy but then a couple of weeks later she caught Covid-19 and with all of her other health conditions she wasn’t able to fight it off and passed away in January."

Rob says his picnic style is 'posh and non-taxing', and that he will be buying in food for the event so he has more time to talk to his new work neighbours and clients to encourage them to donate to a good cause.

Rob added: “Aunt Joan was a very sweet woman with a generous spirit who did not like to make a fuss.

"I think she saw osteoporosis as an inevitable part of ageing, which I know now, simply isn’t the case and so I will definitely be thinking about my bone health, eating, and exercising to improve it and encouraging others to do the same.”

The picnic is part of a wider campaign from ROS which has received the backing from Val Stones, a 2016 Great British Bake-Off contestant, who is an ambassador for the charity.

Val, who has osteoporosis, said: “I’m passionate about all food but there is something charming and special about a picnic.

"As well as being fun, it‘s a great opportunity to bake some healthy recipes and by getting outside, you’ll also be building better bones by topping up that all important vitamin D.

"Don’t forget to raise some money for this fantastic cause too.”

To find out more about the Better Bones Picnic and to download a pack, please visit https://theros.org.uk/how-you-can-help/fundraising/better-bones-picnic/