About the Charity
How we built Finley's Touch:
No parent wants to set up a charity in their child's name.
To lose someone so incredibly special, such a beautiful boy like Finley, has had a devastating affect on our family.
As one of our friends put it neatly, we have 'thrown our grief into building Finley's Touch'.
In setting up his charity we are sharing his hope, his fun and his happiness.
You can see it in his brother Jacob. You see it in his friends.
It is such an incredible energy, that it must be shared. The world is a better place for it.
We've got to try to use that energy.
Nicky worked incredibly hard to get Finley's Touch registered as a charity, setting up the banking, the governance, the policies and the structure.
I, Me, Ben is the name - I do the pretty stuff on the website.
Although it's all based on Finley's work or his smiles!
Our trustees, our friends, our family, and even total strangers from all over the world have all come together to make something beautiful out of something so sad.
Finley's Touch has made that happen. Thank You.
How do we Help?
We support children who are being treated at The Royal Alex (Brighton) and GOSH (London). These are the two hospitals that looked after Finley so well.
Meet the Trustees
Ben Relf
Ben has found that helping to set up and run Finley's Touch has helped enormously with the grief of losing Finley. It helps occupy the mind, to remember happy times, but also shows to the world that there is a way to survive when all seems lost. The messages of thanks that we get from helping others makes it so worthwhile.
Ben works as an Operational Team Leader for The Ambulance Service, where there is never a dull day! On his time off he can be found playing badminton, cheering Jacob on at football, walking Dexter the dog, or nodding off on the sofa.
Ben does a lot of the creative work for Finley's Touch, and looks after the website. He was determined to establish The Paint Splatter Art Studio, which got off to such a great success at Warden Park's Christmas Fair 2022.
Nicky Relf
Nicky does most of the administration for the charity. When one of the other trustees comes up with amazing ideas, she will be the one running the Fulfillment Centre, packaging everything up, and doing all the trips to the post office. It's the best way to make sure it's done right!
The charity makes Nicky feel she is still doing things for Finley and is so proud of what his name and memory is achieving to help others. Knowing how tough the journey is, she wants to do everything she can to support people treading this horrendous path.
She has worked for the ambulance service for over 20 years and is still wears the uniform with pride but will always hate night shifts!
And she will always be looking for a Time Machine.
Ralph Doe
Ralph joined Finley's Touch as a Trustee in winter 2022, having spent many preceding months telling Ben, Nicky, and anyone else who would listen, all about his wacky fundraising ideas for the charity!
Fast forward a few months and we have run a very successful Christmas Card campaign, you can now adopt a rubber chicken, and if we take on half of Ralph's other ideas we're in for very interesting times ahead!
Ralph has spent nearly 20 years working with charities and not for profits.
His knowledge, skills and personality are a great benefit to Finley's Touch, and what he lacks in tea making skills he makes up for with his Home Brewability.
Eleanor Relf
Auntie Eleanor has such happy memories of playing with Finley. Reading to him. Exploring the woods and flying kites on the hilltops. Watching the Flying Scotsman steam through the Sussex countryside.
She even wrote him his very own story while he was in hospital, which you can find here:
https://finleystouch.org.uk/fun-and-games
Eleanor's never ending energy (even on a groggy Sunday morning) helps keep us all going and ensures that Finley's Touch will continue to be shared.
Eleanor writes our press releases and her media knowledge is invaluable to the charity. She's bold as brass with a bucket and gets the kettle on quicker than a megalodon chasing a shark at breakfast time.
Sophie Streeter
Sophie is the youthful energy behind Finley's Touch. Even though (she thinks) she is the most fashionable and glamorous of the trustees, she is more than happy to roll her sleeves up, grab a Nerf Gun and go rolling around destroying stuff with anyone who will roll around with her! If Sophie could make the kids belly laugh with joy it was always worth it. Well, what are Fairy Godmothers for anyway!?
Finley's Touch is very lucky to have Sophie to run all our Social Media accounts, she created our Wonderful Winter Raffle and is always looking for fundraising ideas and ways to spread Finley's Touch around the town, county, country, world and solar system. If there is a way to share our latest Facebook post beyond the solar system, Sophie will find it.
Sophie has quite strong opinions.
Aaron Arnold
Aaron helped shape Finley's Touch from the very start and her ideas, support and encouragement helped get the charity off the ground.
She joins our regular Trustee Zoom Meetings at least 1 minute early, full of wonderful suggestions and passionate about new projects, the only problem is no-one can hear her and she can't normally see us! And no, that's not because she's drunk too much Prosecco, it's apparently due to technical issues!
Aaron likes to keep things very neat and tidy, so she has her work cut out managing our Paint Splatter Events but she is wonderful in this role, and is looking forward to getting arty and glittery with the kids throughout 2023 and beyond.
One of Aaron's most rewarding occasions was single-handedly hauling 5 Hospital Survival Bags across London with her 4 year old Brooks, all the way to GOSH to spread some fun, happiness and hope.
Colin Barry
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