About Us
Our darling son, Tom, died on the 10th December 2010. He fought so hard and so well for 16 months but his malignant brain tumour proved too devastating for even the bravest of boy pirates.
As a family we decided to create a charity in Tom’s name, to celebrate six precious years of a remarkable and adored little boy. So we set up The Tom Grahame Trust and, through the generosity of so many, we’re delighted to say we have raised close to £300,000.
The trust has three objectives. First, to build a pirate playground next door to Tom’s school in the village of Clyro, near Hay on Wye. After many months of hard work, Tom’s Pirate Playground opened on 19th October 2012. It’s a wonderfully original design – complete with a zip wire, pirate boats and a crow’s nest - that we hope will give many children a wonderful place to play and explore for many years to come.
Secondly, we teamed with Macmillan to set up Tom’s Gift. This project is a gift for every child in the UK diagnosed with cancer. It’s designed as a little something to bring a smile to their faces and help them through their treatment – Tom particularly appreciated the toys he was given during his time on chemotherapy and radiotherapy. The gift package contains a £30 voucher to spend on toys and games at Debenhams and a small mystery gift.
Finally we have donated £90,000 to Professor Steve Clifford at Newcastle University to fund a three year research project into the biggest ever biological study into high risk Medulloblastoma. This should lead directly to improved treatment for children in Tom's situation.
None of this would have been possible without the astounding generosity of everyone who has donated to the trust. We are still fundraising for all three projects – maintenance and additions to the playground; Tom’s Gift and further research - so do please help us in any way you can.
Thank you
Corisande, Angus, Iona, Lisabel and Johnny Grahame