Army of volunteers help Lee Rigby’s mum finish refuge for families of bereaved servicemen
STANDING at the retreat built in the name of her murdered son, Lyn Rigby wipes away a tear of joy.
And Lyn was bursting with pride as she gave The Sun on Sunday an exclusive preview of the final stages.
The 50-year-old, who has moved into a new home yards away on the same country estate near Stoke, told us: “I feel like Lee is back by my side being here.
“I never thought I’d be able to fully live again but creating this legacy has been my salvation.
“I have fresh hope. It might sound odd but I feel closer to Lee at the charity house than I did at the home he was brought up in.”
The Sun on Sunday successfully campaigned to have a permanent memorial to him built there.
Lyn also set up the Lee Rigby Foundation. And when former wrestler Kendo Nagasaki donated property on his country estate, she and husband Ian, 58, decided to build the four-bedroom Lee Rigby House and Lodges as bolt-holes for grieving military families.
But it would not have been possible without the kindness of strangers. Ex-soldier Keith Lawson, who visited the retreat in June, said: “As I run a blinds business, I got in touch and offered to provide some.
“When I visited the house there were three people working to restore it and I asked where the rest of the workforce was. Lyn said that was it.
“I knew they would never be ready to open in time and asked Lyn if she would like me to try to get a skilled workforce to help out. She was delighted.”
Keith put out a rallying cry online and his post went viral. It resulted in a team of 15 painters, tilers, joiners, carpet fitters and plumbers descending on the retreat to blitz the property during a weekend in June.
And a core group of four men, including Keith, returned every weekend in their spare time to finish it off.
Locals even put them up in their hotels and B&Bs for free.
Lyn said: “They have helped restore my faith in human nature, reminding me that there are more good people than bad.”
Jimmy Noll, 41, of Expressions Decorating in Peterborough, has spent several weekends working on the house.
He said: “Everyone was shocked and appalled at what happened to Lee and it meant a lot to be able to give something back for such a good cause.
“Workers came from Blackpool, London, Bristol and Brighton. It was extraordinary to see such kindness in action.”
Painter and decorator Mark Cordner, 41, from Nottingham, said: “At the end of the day Lee Rigby served his country.
“He was a patriot who fought to keep us safe.
“I wanted to help ease Lyn’s pain in any small way possible.”
Builder Kevin Cox, 51, from Stoke, said he was “humbled” to help.
He added: “Lee Rigby House is the most amazing charity which will help so many people who are suffering through bereavement of our soldiers killed serving their country.”
‘I felt like I was dying from grief’
Lyn says that relocating to the site — 60 miles from Lee’s childhood home in Manchester — has helped her ailing health and prompted her 12-year-old daughter Amy to tell her: “I’ve got my mummy back again.”
Choking back tears, Lyn said: “Within a week the headaches and chest pains I have suffered since Lee was murdered disappeared.
“I found myself laughing again. Focusing on Lee’s charity meant I wasn’t just mourning him every single minute. It’s like a huge boulder has been lifted from my shoulders. I thought I was dying from grief. I no longer feel guilt for being alive when Lee is dead because I have a real purpose.
“The pain doesn’t disappear, I’ll grieve Lee for the rest of my life but I have an opportunity now to help others who have suffered like me.”
“I chose this path because when I was at my lowest ebb, wanting somewhere to go or someone to turn to, there was nothing. I want to change all that.
“Getting away for just a few days can really help people to regroup and gain strength and support. I know I needed something like this in the early days of grieving for Lee.
“I wanted one good thing to come out of Lee’s awful murder and so I was determined to honour and remember Lee by doing something to help others.
“I guess I believe everything happens for a reason and I truly believe Lee is guiding all this. At least in my heart he is, and I feel he is with me every step of the way.”
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