#CelebratingSimon
Facebook memorial page
Twitter @iCelebrateSimon
Donate now

Simon Richards had lots of passions in life. Like many 12-year old boys, he was often consumed with digital media and gaming, but also carved precious time for music, to practice keyboard and especially the violin.

Simon suffered from Chronic Brittle Asthma, was often very poorly and had to spend a lot of time away from school and from his friends.  Yet despite being poorly he managed to get on with life and find the strength to enjoy playing the violin. A committed member of the North Birmingham Suzuki Violin Group, Simon often delighted audiences by busking in his local Shopping mall in Sutton Coldfield.

Simon sadly passed away on 16 August aged 12.  He would have been 13 on Thursday 24 September 2015.

A memorial fund has been created in his name – called The Simon Richards Award for Young Violins and is open to families living in the West Midlands. The application is the same as an AYM Annual Award

Simon’s family are continually fundraising to support his memory.  His Godmother and Aunty, Beverley Mason (a Trustee of AYM), writes

“Simon is an inspirational child and touched so many people. Not every child is as fortunate as Simon. He experienced the joy of making music and his family could afford to pay for music lessons. He enjoyed playing violin because it was an activity that he could take part in, making excellent progress, and join in with other young people.

Even though he could not attend school very often or take part in other physical activities as much as he wanted to, Simon knew the impact that playing his violin had on him. It not only made him part of a community, it also gave him a strong sense of achievement.

Simon believed in fairness and social justice (he loved the morality stories of superheroes and was a purist!); equally he would agree that no young person with both the potential and the commitment to learn and grow, should ever go unsupported.”

The Simon Richards’ Award for Young Violins aims to help other young violinists from the West Midlands whose families cannot afford the costs of learning to play the instrument.

To kick-start the campaign, Simon’s family launched an online crowdfunding page at the beginning of September.  Their initial target of £2,000 was surpassed within days, following donations from those who knew Simon and those who were touched by reading his story.  By the end of the online campaign the total had exceeded £6,000.  The family have now set up a Virgin Money Giving page to continue fundraising.

It’s not just Simon’s family who have been fundraising. His school, Bishop Walsh have arranged a series of fundraising activities culminating in a prize-giving concert in his name at Christmas time.

Simon’s fellow young violinists from the Suzuki group learned of his passing just before they were to go away on their first tour in Germany.  To honour Simon the children and parents came up with the idea of performing alongside a photograph of Simon during their concerts on the tour.  German audiences were so touched by Simon’s story and the actions of the children that they donated a total of €780 euros (£560) towards his memorial Award.  Five of Simon’s peers also bravely performed at Simon’s Requiem Mass, a gesture that deeply touched his family.

On October 11 the North Birmingham Suzuki Group will perform a special concert to honour Simon and raise further funds for his Award.  Find out more about this concert at book tickets.

To donate through Simon’s Crowdfunding campaign click here.  Please note that the campaign will close on Tuesday 29 September.

Please help spread the word about the Celebrating Simon campaign on social media:

#CelebratingSimon
Facebook memorial page
Twitter @iCelebrateSimon
Join the campaign