Clipstone family launch shop to keep late teenage daughter's 'legacy alive'

The Lashes Foundation was set up by Emma and Lee Wilson, from Clipstone, in memory of their daughter Evie, who died, aged 13, a year ago, in July 2021.

The foundation hopes to continue Evie’s legacy, by providing help to anyone in the community who needs it, just as Evie did during her life.

And now they have launched Lashes HQ, a shop selling ‘pre-loved’ goods on Clipstone Road West, Forest Town.

Emma said: “It is all about keeping Evie’s legacy alive and helping the community too – for us, she is helping us to help others.

“It's lovely to know she is behind everything.

“Evie has done all of this – we just do it on her behalf.

“The name comes from Evie as she was always into her fake eyelashes.

“It just gives us that sense of community and it has been such a positive shop.

“We have a variety of pre-loved items here, plus a selection of merchandise and hand-made jewellery dedicated to Evie.

“We love being able to support the community through Lashes. Lashes helps people struggling with mental health issues or difficult life experiences, such as financial hardship.

“And our HQ is not just a shop, we are part of the community – offering tea and coffee, and a friendly chat. We just want Lashes HQ to be a space where people feel supported and welcome.

“We want people to know where we are so they can find us.

“Everything we take goes back out into the community.”

The Lashes Foundation aims to relieve financial hardship, sickness and poor health among the community.

It provides grants, goods and services to individuals, charities or organisations, with the aim to improve people’s standard of life, prevent and alleviate poverty – improving mental well-being across the community.

A number of Evie’s friends are ambassadors of the foundation, including 14-year-olds Amelie Stirland-Fell, Maddy Barlow, Giselle Cooling and Nieve Cullen, alongside 12-year-old Sienna Sprigg and Georgie Booth, 11.

They said: “Over the summer we have been working to set up and open Lashes HQ, this pre-loved charity shop has been set up in memory of our gorgeous friend Evie Wilson.

"Evie was our very close friend we are all so lucky to have had in our lives.

“As ambassadors to the foundation, we want to help others, just like Evie would and would want us to.

“We are all forever grateful to be a part of the Lashes Foundation and HQ shop.

“In such a short period of time, we have helped so many people, and with the shop opening it’s just one example!

“We thank everyone who has donated, supported us and come along to look at what’s happening in the shop – we are so grateful and can not thank you enough.

“With the support and response from the shop, we are reminded every single day we are doing this on behalf of Evie, and we will carry on to do so.”

Lashes HQ is open Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, 9am-noon. Donations of pre-loved items can be made on Wednesday and Saturdays, from 9am-noon.