Latest News

Thanks to Steele Raymond

A boost came in May in the form of Bournemouth law firm Steele Raymond who kindly nominated us as their charity for a golf day on June 30th attended by employees and clients and donated £345.

World Cup Win

Although the England team didn’t quite achieve all we’d hoped for during the World Cup, events manager and company director Phil Watkins of Funnybone Ltd turned a negative to a positive by raising £350 for us through raffles during England games held at his Bournemouth pub, the Pig & Whistle.

Making his Mark

The Richie Keefe Life and Soul Trust are delighted to announce that Mark Metcalfe of 1st Stop Security has come onboard as a trustee. As a company director Mark is a busy man and the other trustees are very grateful to him for giving up time to take on this additional role. 'I was honoured when I was approached to ask if I'd be willing to get involved and am looking forward to playing my part in helping the charity continue all the good work over the next year and beyond," says Mark, 43. "Cancer is an issue no one is unaffected by and although unlike the other trustees I didn't know Richie personally I have a great respect for everything this charity stands for."

Car and Computer helps father of four

You may have seen a story in the Daily Echo last year about the Trust helping out single dad Nick Hawkes from Three Legged Cross. Nick, 34 who was left to bring up four children after his wife Serena died from cervical cancer three years ago was given a Vauxhall Sapphira to replace his ageing car which was starting to become unreliable for ferrying his family around in. Since then The Trust have also provided Nick with a desktop PC for his children to do their homework on. “The car was a real boost and now the computer has been a very welcome added bonus in addition,” says Nick. “The Trustees have looked at what my family needed and provided it so I am really grateful.”

Thanks to Park School

A big thank you to the Friends of Park School who donated the proceeds from a raffle and quiz night held in November to the Trust. More than £425 was raised by the group which includes parents of children attending the Queens Park independent school in Queens Park, Bournemouth.

And to Vanilla

Another raffle, this time of hair and beauty products was organised by staff at Vanilla Hair and Beauty Salon. The Bournemouth Road salon in Lower Parkstone raised £160 thanks to clients’ generosity and the Life and Soul Trust are very grateful to all the staff involved.

More support for Mosaic

The Richie Keefe Life and Soul Trust have continued supporting local children affected by bereavement with a donation towards a residential weekend which gave them the chance to share their experiences with others.

The Dorset based charity Mosaic received £1,500 from the Trust towards their latest two day event which was held at Leeson House in Swanage on the weekend of 11th and 12th July 2009.

More than 20 children and young people aged between five and 17 attended the event where they were able to take part in teambuilding exercises before ending the weekend by launching balloons with messages to their loved one attached. Parents got involved too, with similar activities for the adults.

“It was a fun weekend despite the issues the young people have faced losing a family member and a chance for them meet others in similar situations,” said Mosaic co-founder Margaret Hannibal. “The Richie Keefe Life and Soul Trust helped us fund a day last year and it is fantastic to get a second round of support for them towards this.”

Life and Soul trustee Danny McClafferty who attended part of the weekend added: “I saw first hand how much effort Mosaic put into helping both children and their parents in this situation and the incredibly beneficial effect all round. We are pleased to continue our support for such a worthwhile cause.”

Anyone interested in finding out more about Mosaic or helping with funding can contact them on info@mosaicfamilysupport.org

Picture credit:Bournemouth Daily Echo

The Richie Keefe Library is the result of a £15,000 donation from the Life and Soul Trust to the About Face centre, which opened in December 2008. It is aimed at providing support and information to anyone with facial cancer, as well as training facilities for surgeons and health professionals. 

Richie’s wife Jo, 36, and his daughter Eleenor, 12, were amongst those visiting the library to mark the event and unveil a plaque for Richie. 
 
“I feel incredibly proud that a room has been named after my husband at a centre which is all about helping families in a similar situation,” said Jo. 

Life and Soul trustee and close friend of Richie’s, Danny McClafferty, added: “The medical care  Richie received was fantastic; we know that he would have approved of our use of some of the funds raised in his name in this way."

£15,000 Donation to About Face Centre
Patients with facial cancers similar to the one Richie Keefe was diagnosed with have benefited from a £15,000 donation from the Richie Keefe Life and Soul Trust to the About Face Centre in Poole.

The About Face charity was set up twelve years ago by one of the founding trustees, Mr Ilankovan, the Maxillofacial Consultant who carried out pioneering surgery on Richie Keefe. The charity provides care, medical and research facilities to support of those suffering from cancer and disfigurement of the head and neck, including oral and mouth cancer, in the Dorset and Hampshire area.

The new centre, across the road from Poole Hospital in Longfleet Road, Poole was bought by the charity in November 2007 after three years of fundraising.

It is used to offer support and information for patients with maxillofacial cancers as well as counselling. Facilities include a library and study room, short-term accommodation and a surgical practice suite for use by trainee surgeons working alongside Mr Ilankovan and his staff. Find out more by visiting their website at this address;
www.about-face.info/

Running With Soul!
Thanks to Lynne Dalton and Jayson Priday who donned their running shoes to take part in the Boscombe 10K run held in Kings Park at the end of 2008. All their sponsorship money totalling £2,160 was donated to the Life and Soul Trust. (Nov 08)

£9,000 Raised in Steve Clayton 2008 Charity Cricket Match
A charity cricket match held in honour of a Bournemouth man who died of cancer raised more than £9,000 for the Richie Keefe Life and Soul Trust.

The fun match on Sunday 14th September 2008 at Bournemouth Sports Club near Parley was held in memory of Steve Clayton who had died two months earlier aged 39.

Steve, a former Abbey Life employee, left behind a wife Gabi and a son and daughter. Steve's brother in law Mike Jones organised the event as a way of celebrating Steve's life and the Life and Soul trustees were grateful for the decision to donate the money raised to the charity. (Sep 08)

A Final Farewell
Friends, family and anyone whose lives Richie had touched, gathered together at Hinton Park Woodland Burial Ground in Walkford on Monday 23rd June 2008 to pay their last respects. So many people attended this celebration of his life that they spilled into the gardens of the grounds which Richie had chosen as his final resting place. The service was conducted by the Reverand Jim Harper who talked about Richie's life and the incredibly positive way he had dealt with his illness.

Richie's eight year old daughter, Eleenor gave a moving tribute to her father whilst his wife Jo also read out a poem Richie had written to everyone assembled.

Afterwards friends and family moved onto drink a toast to Richie who had expressed his wish for everyone to have a 'good drink on him.' (Jun 08)

Life and Soul Trust Funds Mosaic Activity Day
The Richie Keefe Life and Soul Trust were pleased to help put a smile on the face of children and their families who have lost a relative or person close to them. The Trust provided funding for the first ever activity day held by Dorset based charity Mosaic who aim to provide support for under 18 year olds affected by bereavement in the Dorset area.

Twelve children aged 4-13 and their parents or carers enjoyed a day out at Brenscombe Outdoor Activity Centre near Corfe Castle where they took part in physical activities and craft sessions.

Richie Keefe Life and Soul Trustee Nigel Butler said afterwards: "As we are all about supporting Dorset families affected by bereavement and Mosaic is a charity specifically set up to help children in this situation it seemed a very appropriate use of our funds."

Mosaic co-founder Margaret Hannibal said: "We were very grateful for the Trust's help in funding this day which gave the children the chance to have fun as well as express their feelings." (Apr 08)

Anyone interested in finding out more about Mosaic or helping with funding can contact them by email at info@mosaicfamilysupport.org

Marks and Spencer Auction for Life and Soul
Marks and Spencer at Castle Point held their annual dinner dance at the Carrington Hotel in Bournemouth. During this special evening various suede and leather jackets form the previous season's stock were auctioned off. An amazing £500 was raised for the Life & Soul Trust. We would like to say a huge thank you to Paul Swanton and everyone involved in raising this fantastic amount. It is very much appreciated. (Jan 08)

Charity Status
The Richie Keefe Life and Soul Trust was registered as a charity in December 2007. This official status has the added benefit for tax payers and the charity in terms of Gift Aid - where donations are treated as if the donor had already deducted basic rate tax from them and the charity can then reclaim this tax to increase the value of a donation whilst for businesses a donation can be offset against their tax bill. (Dec 07)

For more information on Gift Aid and making charitable donation visit HMRC's website at www.hmrc.gov.uk/charities/gift-aid.htm