Anne and Terry Panks run Copperdale Trust, their home turned charity house which has served as residence to 1,000 troubled children with nowhere else to go. Their efforts have afforded many people the opportunity to have a stable home and make something of themselves, but they never expected anything in return and certainly not this:
In 1980, the couple opened their home in Britain to young criminal offenders who needed a warm bed and a second chance. In 2012, the couple had become so beloved in and around their community and country that they were given the Pride of Britain award. Anne, now in her 80s, still runs the Copperdale Trust to this day, the couple’s organization situated in an old police station. According to Initiatives of Change, young residents brush up on life skills and become independent while staying at Copperdale. The kids are given a haven in which they can begin to get their lives back on track. Recently, the folks at Morrison’s supermarket chain decided to give Anne and Terry the surprise of their lives — by secretly planning to throw them a party and invite those whose lives they’ve touched since 1980. Anne and Terry thought they were heading to meet a reporter from The Sun, but really they were on their way to a community center for a surprise party.
Not all 1,000 people the Panks helped returned for the party, but those who came credit Anne and Terry with their success and can’t thank them enough.
Cheers to Anne and Terry for being the best kind of people for 36 years!
And today we celebrate...