UK Gutter Maintenance Donates To Action For Pulmonary Fibrosis

www.actionpf.org

ABOUT THE CHARITY

Action for Pulmonary Fibrosis (APF) is a national charity that supports everyone affected by pulmonary fibrosis through information and support, raises awareness of this devastating lung condition, and funds vital research to improve treatment, find a cure, and bring hope for the future.

OUR STORY - In Loving Memory of John Allen ❤

Following the unanticipated sudden loss of a special member of our family last year to the condition Idiopathic pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF) – (the cause of the pulmonary fibrosis is unknown which is the most common type of pulmonary fibrosis) we chose to dedicate our fund raising event to Action for Pulmonary Fibrosis (APF) as the charities core aims’ purpose and empathy instantly resonated with us.

John was first admitted into hospital in August 2024 and later diagnosed with IPF.

In January 2025 he travelled to Europe for six weeks with his long term partner Sal in their motorhome, something he was determined to do. They were on the return journey home at the end of March when John was told he’d got accepted onto a clinical trial which is very hard to do and he was willing to try anything as he’d mentioned on several occasions during his travels he was concerned his breathing was becoming more difficult. The trial was due to start in the May.

He started to feel unwell a week or so after returning home and was admitted into hospital on a general respiratory ward with a chest infection. He sadly died 12 days later on 29th April 2025.

The family were extremely fortunate that Han his daughter was a GP and we would have floundered without her understanding and help whilst talking to the medical staff. Other families may well not be so fortunate but APF can provide help and support.

We had hoped he could have been transferred to the hospice but time was not on our side. A key lesson from our experience is to encourage other families to get palliative care involved earlier in the journey so they’re more prepared and can plan end of life better.

Our fund raising event was a small gathering of family and friends and our highlight of the day was that we were privileged to have Paul Roberts, the former Stranglers lead singer as our main performer, it was amazing!

We held a raffle prize to raise funds and Paul kindly offered to call the winning numbers during the course of his gig.  Due to the generosity of local businesses who donated a phenomenal £1,000 of prizes, both large and small, with other donations we found ourselves with so many prizes that Paul was announcing the winning numbers in such quick succession; it was chaotic, high energy and such a laugh.

The event was our way of celebrating everything that made John special: friendship, music, laughter, community and the simple joy of being together. At the same time, we wanted to raise awareness of pulmonary fibrosis and support the incredible work of Action for Pulmonary Fibrosis, helping other families facing the same journey.

It was a really special day and including gift aid we raised a total of £4,652.16 for APF