AS the family and friends of Lt Aaron Lewis tried to come to terms with his untimely death in 2008, they were determined that he would not be forgotten and that his spirit would live on.
In the year that followed, they raised £100,000 for a variety of service and civilian charities. It provided a substantial donation towards the construction of the Commando Gunner Memorial, which proudly stands outside Aaron’s former base at the Royal Citadel in Plymouth.
Inspired to continue helping others, they officially formed the Aaron Lewis Foundation in 2010 and spent the next few years fundraising hard.
By 2013, the wheels were really rolling. The ALF funded state-of-the-art wheelchairs for local children Matthew and Daisy. The year after came a sound system for the Army Regional Rehabilitation Unit in Colchester, as well as working with Help for Heroes and Blesma to provide a specialised chair for injured veteran Jonathan.
Now a well-established fund-raiser, the Foundation was really able to help a number of injured veterans in 2015.
It furnished the home of one vet with mental health issues and funded woodworking tools for another. The projects provided greater independence for both.
The ALF also helped give four more ex-servicemen more freedom. There were hand bikes for Neil, Chris and Gareth – from the Army, RAF and Royal Navy respectively – and a recumbent bike for Bruce. On the theme of cycling, injured vet Dave got a set of carbon wheels, which he used to claim two bronze medals as part of Prince Harry’s Team GB in the Invictus Games in the US.
The charity also continued to help local children with specialised trikes for three youngsters including Penelope Martin, specialist gel seating for two kids with Tay-Sachs, and collaborating with the Fellowship Afloat charity to provide a boat for less mobile or less confident students.
Now the Aaron Lewis Foundation was really sailing.
As the donations and fundraising efforts continued, the charity was able to help more and more people.
It helped injured veteran Andy with housing costs and tools for local man Rob, who was able to start work as a qualified electrician.
There were also hand cycles for Martin in Devon and Justin in Bristol, the latter of whom used his to win the United States Marine Corps marathon. And a chair lift was funded for disabled veterans using an Avon-based model railway club.
The ALF also paid for specialist kit to help Harley Reynolds develop his hearing skills, brain timing and speech functions. It ended the year by delivering Christmas presents, day trips and hampers to three local families who suffered hardship due to illness and disability.
Last year was another busy one for the charity as it helped more wounded ex-service personnel to keep active. New carbon wheels helped former Royal Marine and keen cyclist Jez Scarratt take part in the Pyrenean Raid race, while Jimmy Hill – another ex-Marine – wore an Aaron Lewis Foundation racing suit after the charity helped him to race around Silverstone.
The charity teamed up with Blesma to fund a recumbent bike for Chris Jones, and also paid for a special car loading system to allow Charlie Radclyffe, who was paralysed from the knees down while serving in the Irish Guards, to kayak more freely.
More locally, the ALF funded special physiotherapy for youngster Lennon Coady, who has cerebral palsy, as well computer kit for a pupil at St Helen’s Primary School.
Two other young men were helped to get out and about. Richard Traveller got a Triride device that electrically-powers his wheelchair, and Conall Riley was presented with a hand cycle at the ALF 10s event in 2017.
2018 has seen the ALF involved in further projects. The charity has funded two first aid courses run at the Colchester Personnel Recovery Centre to help injured soldiers stay active and/or prepare them for civvy street if they are likely to be discharged.
A donation to the Shoeburyness and South Essex branch of the Royal Artillery Association helped them fund a trailer to take their 25-pounder guns on the road to events. And in August Helen and Barry Lewis launched a wheelchair-accessible boat part-funded by the ALF and named after Aaron in Plymouth.
In addition to these individual projects, since summer 2013 the Aaron Lewis Foundation has helped eight pupils from Belfairs Academy to conduct overseas volunteering trips.
There are several projects planned for 2019. You can follow our progress on Facebook and find out more about those listed here on this website.