Anita Wardell - a message of thanks to all contributors!!

UPDATE (July 2025):-

This page was created by Anita's close friends and family, following her major stroke in March 2024, just two days before she was due to fly home to Australia to see her ailing mother. Anita spent the following year in various hospitals, rehab centre and care home before moving into a room that Trudy Kerr & Geoff Gascoyne had built for her in their house.

She spent most of the past 16 months doing various different physio, speech and other therapies to gradually help her recovery.

With the help of everyone who contributed to this GoFundMe page, and benefit gigs, enough money was raised to buy her a comfortable flight home to Australia now to finally see her parents and family.

The new video above is Anita's thank-you to everyone who has helped her to get home.

Anita and her sister Jacquie at Gatwick Airport, about to fly home to Australia (July 2025)

ORIGINAL POSTS:-

(Pictured: Anita's mother, her sister Jacquie & Anita )

Her sister, Jacquie, flew over to the UK from Australia for a few weeks in April 2024 to be with her in hospital and take charge of her financial affairs while Anita was unable to deal with those matters. This is why the funds we raise will be going to help Anita via her sister.

PLEASE NOTE: THIS APPEAL IS COLLECTING THE DONATIONS IN AUSTRALIAN DOLLARS ( 1 Australian Dollar = £0.52 or $0.64 ) !

We are setting up this crowd funding appeal to show our love and support for our dear friend, Anita Wardell; widely known and much loved in the UK & Australia (her home countries) plus the USA, Europe and many other countries, as a world class award winning Jazz singer, phenomenal scat singer, songwriter and inspirational teacher.

On Friday March 22nd 2024, during the interval of a gig where she was performing near London, Anita felt dizzy and collapsed. She was rushed to hospital by fellow band mates, whose quick actions thankfully saved her life.

She had suffered a devastating stroke which paralysed the right-hand side of her body, arm and leg; and left her with some speech difficulties.

Even while initially in an acute stroke ward, the hospital began physiotherapy and speech therapy just a few days after the stroke hit, to start the work on Anita's gradual recovery.

Over the following days and weeks Anita has regained a significantly improved speech, particularly when she is rested. Now she has moved hospitals for more intensive physiotherapy to help her gain further physical ability.

Recovery is challenging and very slow, expected to take many months.

Anita had a flight to Australia booked for 24th March (two days after the stroke) to help care for her mum who has dementia; but obviously she could not go and has lost that flight. If the stroke had happened a couple of days later, mid air, she may well not have survived.

Sadly she is not able to fly back to Australia now; and she will not be able to teach, perform or earn any money for quite some time.

Although Anita's spirits are at times pretty good considering what she has been through; she is, however, left in a difficult place financially.

We hope this crowd funding appeal will help Anita have some kind of stability in the coming months while she recuperates (possibly with the help of carers when she eventually leaves hospital); and when she is able to travel, to fund her trip back to Australia to see her beloved mum.

With gratitude to all the many people who have already sent loving messages of concern for Anita, and to those who will be inspired to help her in any way through this group effort!

This is the best way people can help Anita for the time being, as she needs the space to focus on her recovery.