News

A fundraising event held recently in memory of Ben Pinkham raised £2680 for Children's Hospice South West (CHSW) which runs Little Harbour children's hospice in St Austell.

Ben, a keen footballer for Saltash United, died tragically in 2003 when he was just 21, the fundraiser was organised to mark what would have been Ben’s 40th birthday year.

Ben’s friends and family have fundraised generously for CHSW since Ben’s death and his sister Joanna McTighe explains what it means to her family;

In the 19 years that have passed since Ben was tragically taken from us we have organised lots of events to raise funds for Children’s Hospice South West; a charity so important to our community but also one we think Ben would absolutely love to support in his memory. In total we have raised £16,445.67.

“We would like to thank our friends and family for supporting us and our events and also to Chris Pethick and James Almett who have been instrumental in organising many of the fundraising events over the years.

It’s important that a life lost is not one that’s forgotten and anyone who has lost a loved one will understand the importance of keeping precious memories alive. Ben lives on in our hearts and minds always."

Bernadette Chambers, Area Fundraiser for CHSW visited Ben’s family to collect the donation and commented; “It was wonderful to spend time with Ben’s family and hear about how and why they continue to fundraise so generously for Children’s Hospice South West. We are incredibly grateful and would like to thank everyone who donated at the recent fundraiser as well as over the years, it is a fitting way to remember a special young man.”

CHSW supports children and young people with life-limiting and life-threatening illnesses by providing resilience stays, day visits, end of life care and bereavement support at its three children’s hospices, including Little Harbour in St Austell. The hospice costs over £3 million a year to run and relies heavily on voluntary donations, such as those from this fundraiser in memory of Ben, to provide this vital care and support to local children and their families.

To find out how you could support CHSW visit www.chsw.org.uk for more information.