We
have just learnt of the death of Ron Presley OBE - CRY's first
Chairman. Ron's interest in CRY, his contacts and influence,
helped launch the charity in 1995 and it was because of Ron that
we managed to do so in spite of a total lack of financial
resources.
Ron put us in touch with a solicitor
and an accountant who both had a special interest and expertise
in charities. As a result of them donating their time free, we
were able to start CRY owing only £30 - which was the cost of
registering as a limited company. To this day, CRY uses the
same solicitor and accountants, although we are now able to
compensate them for their services!
Crucially Ron also secured the
interest of a major organisation, who anonymously made 3
successive annual donations of £10,000 over 3 years. These
funds were used as a down payment on the purchase of an
echocardiogram machine donated to St George's Hospital, Tooting
- the first hospital in the UK to have any interest in young
sudden cardiac death.
The subsequent acquisition of
the dedicated Acuson echocardiogram machine was funded through
further donations from CRY families and supporters and also the
generosity of Acuson echocardiographer Annette Jones through whom we
made the purchase and who waived her own bonus in support of our
work.
The purchase of the Acuson
echocardiogram machine
facilitated the first clinic in
the UK for families affected by conditions that can cause young
sudden cardiac death, to be run from St George's.
This interest has now
gone full circle with the hospital's appointment of Sanjay
Sharma (CRY's consultant cardiologist who
trained at St George's) as
Professor of their new Inherited Cardiovascular Disease and
Sports Cardiology Clinic, to be launched in February 2010.
Ron also ensured we had premises for
Trustee meetings - first accommodated at his beautiful home in
Surrey and then, as we expanded, at his offices off Bond Street.
Ron and his wife Frances were pivotal to the success of one of
CRY's first events - an annual Wimbledon Fun Day held at the All
England Lawn Tennis Club which raised many thousands of
pounds over the years.
