Appeal to create memorial for Todmorden mum who died suddenly, leaving two young boys

A Todmorden dad is appealing for help creating a memorial for his partner who died suddenly, aged just 25.
Ben and Steph togetherBen and Steph together
Ben and Steph together

Ben Widdop wants to buy a bench in honour of Steph Evans, who died seven years ago leaving two young sons.

Nine-year-old Alfie and Leyton, 8, were just a toddler and baby when they lost their mum in November 2014.

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Ben, 29 and who runs a scrap collection business, wants them to have somewhere special to go to think and talk about her.

“The boys are starting to ask more questions now,” he said.

“The only place we have to go is the crematorium at Rochdale.

“We don’t know where it will be yet. Maybe over in Rochdale or she liked Hollingworth Lake.”

Steph had a heart condition called dilated cardiomyopathy - a disease in which the heart’s ability to pump blood around the body is decreased,

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People with dilated cardiomyopathy are at greater risk of heart failure, where the heart fails to pump enough blood around the body at the right pressure.

The condition was so serious, Steph initially wasn’t expected to live past her second birthday and her family was told she would never be able to have children.

Ben, who met Steph while on a night out, described her as “fun, bubbly, outgoing and caring”.

Speaking soon after her death, he said she “would do anything for anyone”.

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“Steph was happy, fun, outgoing and a genuinely nice person who would do anything for anyone, especially her kids,” he said.

Ben has launched an online fundraiser to help pay for the bench and is aiming to raise £700.

For more information about dilated cardiomyopathy, visit https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/cardiomyopathy .

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