On Friday 3rd April our dear friend and longstanding 26 member Rowena Roberts @wordsinspireuk died, following a brave battle against an aggressive form of cancer.
Rowena bore this dreadful illness with courage, determination and even humour, posting regularly on Instagram to share her thoughts with an almost daily but always inspiring regularity. Her words truly did inspire – she chose the word ‘Joy’ as her word for 2026, and she posted her poetry and often spiritual writing to shine a light for us all. She will be much missed by her friends in 26, many of whom will have participated alongside Rowena in 26 projects, perhaps most poignantly, given the news, in the Armistice project.
Rowena might have lost the battle to live but her words live on. It’s so fitting that two of her final poems will appear in a soon-to-be-published Dark Angels volume called ‘Family Matters’.
She shared her words and thoughts with rare courage, with a warm, shy smile even in the darkest of times. These words, written by her in recent weeks, sum up her extraordinary approach as she faced the prospect of death with determination, resolution and an attitude that can only be called ‘Rowena’:
It takes strength to be vulnerable.
Courage to feel fear.
We’ll miss her.
Our heartfelt condolences to her loving family.
– John Simmons