Tributes paid to father and daughter victims of Covid-19

Friends, family and colleagues have paid tribute to a father and daughter who had a great influence on public, business and charity communities across Hull and East Yorkshire but who lost their lives to Covid-19 within days of each other.

David Whincup and Joanne Rennison were both directors of Educare Nursery in Beverley and were widely known for their activities in many other sectors. David worked as a Director for the Red Cross and prior to that he served the Hull and Humberside police forces for more than 30 years. Jo pursued a career in hotel events management before becoming Red Cross Fundraising Manager.

David’s charity work raised thousands of pounds for deserving causes in Hull and East Yorkshire. Following in his footsteps, David’s Grandchildren have now set up a JustGiving page in their Grandpa’s and Auntie’s memory to raise money for the Hull, Beverley Borough and Holderness Branch of the MS Society – smashing their initial target of £500 in no time and now pushing towards £4,000.  

Jo was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis when she was 30 and the MS Society has always been a focus of their fund-raising. David also supported many other charities as a founder member of Haltemprice Lions Club in 1973, serving as President four times and as Secretary for a long period.

He also served as Vice-president and Chairman of Haltemprice and Howden Conservative Association, and MP David Davis led the tributes.

He said: “David was the kindest, most thoughtful, and utterly decent man I have ever had the privilege to meet. He had a fantastic commitment to selfless public service, not least when serving as Chairman of the Haltemprice and Howden Conservatives. We shall all miss him greatly.”

David, who would have been 80 on 8 May, and Jo, who was 52, lived in Cottingham with Margaret – David’s wife and Jo’s mother – and Jo’s daughter Alice, a law student.

David’s funeral took place on Monday 27 April at Haltemprice Crematorium and was attended by close family only with many more following the proceedings online. Stuart Hickson, a police colleague of David’s, noted: “I know that in normal circumstances this building would have been full because David touched so many lives.”

After leaving school in 1956 David joined the Hull City Police Cadets, becoming a PC three years later and embarking on a career which included roles as a detective  and as an Inspector in discipline and complaints on his way to the rank of Superintendent in charge at Tower Grange police station and then at the head of the force HR department.

He organised activities including police balls and band concerts and he served as Treasurer of the Police Sports Club from 1977 until he retired from the force in 1990. 

David’s fundraising skills were to the fore when he worked as Director of British Red Cross in the Hull area until 1999, and when the charity made the decision to close its children’s nursery David saw an opportunity to launch Educare as a family business.

A commitment to training and investment was at the heart of the business as it expanded with extensions to the building, an increase in the capacity from 24 children to the current level of around 150 and job creation from 12 posts on opening day to around 35 now.

Vicki Morris, who was recently appointed as Nursery Director, said: “David was tremendously committed to the nursery, striving to develop facilities, resources and a positive and safe environment for the children. He was incredibly proud of the nursery and all its achievements, always making sure staff were recognised for their hard work and dedication.

“He will be deeply missed but the nursery will continue with all the plans which he developed with myself and our incredibly dedicated and amazing team.”

David also organised many fund raising dinners for Haltemprice Lions Club, and his commitment helped to secure the support of many other businesses and prominent individuals as he attracted some of the biggest names in sport.

The most recent in October 2019 featured former world heavyweight boxing champion Frank Bruno. Other guest speakers included Hull’s own Olympic boxing champion Luke Campbell, Indian cricket legend Farokh Engineer and former England cricket captains Sir Ian Botham, Graham Gooch and Chris Cowdrey.

Norma Tanikal, Vice-President of Haltemprice Lions, said: “David was a very active Lion and was responsible for the social events which raised thousands of pounds for hospital equipment and local charities. He was a very popular and respected member of Haltemprice Lions and he will be sadly missed.”

David was known for his enormous energy and dedication, always striving to make a positive impact, however his proudest achievement was his family.

Margaret and David had three daughters, Vicki, Jo and Al, three grandchildren Alex, Alice and Frankie and a son-in-law, Paul.

Remembering their father fondly, Vicki and Al described the admiration for their remarkable father who always had a smile, was full of energy, full of life, full of fun and full of love for his family. They are devastated by the impact the cruel illness Covid-19 has on families, however they are grateful for the special times they shared with their father and fun loving sister Jo.

To support the JustGiving appeal in memory of David and Jo please visit:

www.justgiving.com/fundraising/in-memory-of-david-and-jo