GBCT’s latest and final newsletter is now available. Available to download as PDF, including details of our final legacy funding projects, and in summary below.

George’s Legacy

We established the GBCT in March 2014, following the most tragic circumstances, to build a legacy in George’s memory through empowering communities to make a difference in the things George was passionate about – the provision of emergency aid, volunteering and skills development for young people.

The Bairstow family has been overwhelmed by support we and the GBCT has received from all of you. Whether you donated, baked cakes, ran distances or volunteered your time to run the Trust, your contributions have enabled us to build George’s legacy through the Trust. The legacy we had not envisaged, but are so delighted to have built, is an extended family and community of George’s friends who we know will continue to cherish memories of George and sustain his legacy beyond the GBCT over the years to come.

We are proud of what the GBCT has achieved through its 93 grants, totalling over £200,000. If we reflect on what that means to the communities we have supported it is tremendous, some highlights are:

· Over 10,000 trained in valuable first aid skills in 2023 alone through our support of Great Western Heartstarters

· 17 life saving defibrillators supported, 12 of which are available 24/7 as community access defibrillators like in the red phone box of Brompton-by-Sawdon, which was our first project

· Over 200 young offenders gaining valuable life skills essential to their future through our support of Criminon

· 2 new emergency response vehicles have been supported by the GBCT, one for Ulverston Inshore Rescue and the other for St John Ambulance

· Plus many more valuable projects spanning the country from Helston Railway Preservation Society in the south-west to the North Tyneside Disability Forum in the north-east

I would like to thank our Trustees, past and present, for their support and commitment to the Trust, your contributions have been invaluable.

We have achieved our aims and more, and so it is now the right time for the Trust itself to close, leaving our legacy funding projects to sustain George’s memory for years to come. Thank you for your support over the years,

Maria, Chair of Trustees