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Basildon school raises more than £10k in teachers memory





Last year, the Newbury Weekly News reported how Helen Thompson, a reception teacher at Basildon Primary School, died from a brain haemorrhage within hours of being diagnosed with a blood clot in December 2013.
The 28-year-old had married her childhood sweetheart, James, four months before her death and the couple supported the charity International Disaster Volunteers after meeting founder and CEO Andy Chaggar while volunteering in Thailand after a tsunami struck.
Mrs Thompson had set out to raise a modest £200 for the charity following Typhoon Haiyan striking the Philippines in 2013.
Just over a year since her death and more than £50,000 has been raised in her memory, with more than £39,000 being donated through her JustGiving page.
Mr Chaggar, told the Newbury Weekly News this week that the money had allowed the charity to help more than 600 children in the Philippines by refurbishing and building classrooms.
The project has been made more poignant in that Mr Thompson, a bricklayer, has helped with the work, including the construction of a classroom as a tribute to his late wife.
“I think it shows how much she was loved by so many people. It's made a huge difference in terms of what we have been able to do,” Mr Chaggar said.
“To move them into an absolutely fantastic classroom has changed their lives. It’s a fitting tribute to Helen.”
The school community at Basildon Primary vowed to build on Mrs Thompson’s fundraising legacy and established a long-term connection with the charity close to her heart.
Headteacher Paul Field said that the school had raised more than £10,000 towards the charity projects, with people raising funds at the school’s summer fete and at jumble sales and other events throughout the year.
He said that, despite the tragic circumstances, there was enormous comfort to be gained knowing that a cause that Mrs Thompson was so passionate about was benefiting in her memory; and allowing children at the school to think about the big questions in life and how to respond to tragic events in their lives.
“We came together, worked hard and did something in her memory and there’s a classroom in the Philippines that will benefit from this.
“We have got an interstellar legacy.
“She was a great person and we have a great legacy. We have a lot to talk about and reflect on and that’s something we can benefit from.”
Mr Thompson told the NWN: “The school’s fundraising has been amazing. It has really meant a lot to me to be able to leave a legacy for Helen and to the children and families we have managed to help with it.
“This legacy means the world to me and to Helen’s friends and family and this is my way of in some sense showing her how amazing she was and she truly does deserve a legacy like this.
“Helen helped so many people through her life and even after she has gone she is still helping people she will never even meet.
“Forever missed but never forgotten and still inspiring me, our friends and families.”
For more information and to make a donation visit www.thehelenthompsonmemorialfund.co.uk



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