Mansfield man records sepsis charity album in memory of his late partner

Mark Evason has joined forces with a host of Nottinghamshire bands to raise money for the UK Sepsis Trust in memory of his late partner Jenny.

She died suddenly in 2018 after going to her GP with what was believed to be a water infection.

Now Mark wants to raise awareness of the life-threatening infection’s symptoms, which currently causes 48,000 sepsis-related deaths each year.

Jenny was 52 when she fell seriously ill just three days after the visit to her doctor, who told her that it was ‘probably a water infection’ and to make an appointment for a week later.

“Jenny was super fit and never liked going to the doctors, but I could tell something wasn’t right,” said Mark.

"Her GP sent her away, but she got worse very suddenly,so I took her to A&E where she was given antibiotics and sent home.

"The next day she was worse and, when I went to check on her, I realised her legs were covered in black blotches – something was seriously wrong.”

Jenny’s condition deteriorated quickly and, despite Mark’s desperate efforts to save her while waiting for the ambulance, she tragically died on the way to hospital.

Mark is now focused on ensuring more people are aware of the illness and know the key signs to look out for.

He said: "I was a trained first aider, so I knew about the usual issues like heart attacks and stroke, but I had never been taught the signs to look out for of sepsis.

"Had I known to check her body for signs of blotching or discolouration, I would have known she was seriously ill sooner and she might still be here.”

After Jenny’s death, Mark turned to his love of music and picked up the guitar that Jenny had bought for him, writing a song called Sound of Light.

Finding solace in music, he then approached his previous band members with the idea of writing an album of songs to raise money in her memory, and The Jenny Perry Project was formed.

The Mansfield band includes vocalist Ginny Brown from GinSing, Gaz Bedford and Martyn Brown on keyboard, Richard Gillitt on drums, bass guitarist Richard Hudson, and Steve Davies as an engineer – Mark completes the band as a guitarist himself.

The album was produced as a collective effort of bands across the county, including female rock trio Desensitised, heavy rock band BlitZ, The Robert Dodsley Project, along with many others from the area

It was produced and recorded at Unit 5 Studios on Wood Street in Mansfield.

Mark has funded the production of the CD out of his own pocket, meaning every penny of the purchase price goes to the UK Sepsis Trust – which aims to educate health professionals, raise awareness and save some of the preventable deaths which happen each year.

The album can be purchased here and for more information on The Jenny Perry Project, check out its Facebook page.

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