The Haberdashers’ Monmouth Schools community has joined together to raise more than £70,000 in memory of a caring and considerate teenage boy. Tom was a pupil at Monmouth School for Boys and his unexpected death in June 2018, aged just 13, has been felt by the whole community.

More than 650 swimmers took the plunge in a 12-hour swimathon,
called Swim for Tom.

Tom’s family launched a £100,000 appeal, with support from Cancer Research Wales, to fund a three-year PhD research project into Acute Myeloid Leukaemia. Earlier this year, more than 650 people took part in a 12-hour swimathon, called Swim for Tom, which raised £20,359.76. Swim for Tom was organised by Tom’s sister Holly, a pupil at Monmouth School for Girls, Deputy Head Girl at Monmouth School for Girls, Katie, and Director of Sport, Miss Lou Scott.

Less than three months before he died, and before he knew he had leukaemia, Tom raised several hundred pounds for Cancer Research Wales in the Brecon Beacons Night. And 230 people followed in Tom’s footsteps in March this year to scale Pen y Fan to raise more than £20,000 for his fund. Tom was a keen swimmer and had also been learning to row on the River Wye. In December 2018, his family christened a new rowing boat, called The Otter, in memory of Tom, at Monmouth School for Boys’ Rowing Club. The Otter was bought with funds raised by his friends who rowed Loch Ness in Scotland and with money from Tom’s estate.

The overall tally includes money raised by Tom’s youngest sister Emily, a pupil at Monmouth School Girls’ Prep, who sang in Cwmbran town centre before Christmas (£229.23), a Christmas charity car park run by pupils (£585), and other events.