Charity in memory of murdered airman nears £1,000 mark
A charity in memory of a murdered Shropshire airman is nearing its first £1,000 to help the families of servicemen and women killed at war.
Jodie McCarthy launched the Brent McCarthy Trust in memory of her brother, who was shot dead by a rogue policeman in Afghanistan, to help other bereaved families come to terms with their loss.
The mother-of-three from Priorslee, Telford has been overwhelmed with the response to the charity which has raised more than £700 in just four months.
A charity hockey match at Telford & Wrekin Hockey Club in St Georges where Mr McCarthy played for many years went down a storm on Saturday, December 20.
"It was really amazing," said Jodie, 32. "There were Brent's hockey friends and his RAF friends got involved. We did a raffle and they are putting Brent's shirt up on a display on the wall at the club.
"I've been so overwhelmed with all the support I've had. I can't wait for next year when it'll be really flying."
Miss McCarthy is busy setting up a bank account and a Just Giving page for the trust.
She said: "I want to help bereaved military families in Brent's name.
"I think there's a gap in specific help for brothers and sisters of fallen servicemen and women and I want to address that."
She wants her children Mia-Jay, eight and Kyron, two, to see a lasting legacy of their uncle who never got to meet their nine-month-old sister Shiah-Rai.
And she plans to give children left behind a star to remember their loved ones by.
"You can name a star and you get the co-ordinates so you can find it in the sky," said Miss McCarthy. "I think it's a lovely way to explain to young children where they've gone."
Corporal McCarthy's family had his RAF uniform made into a teddybear and Miss McCarthy would like to offer this tangible memory to others.
She would also like to arrange caravan breaks to put siblings in touch with others. "I just want them to know they're not alone," she said.
And Miss McCarthy would like to give back to organisations which helped her family, including national armed forces charity SSAFA, bereaved children's charity Winston's Wish and veterans mental health charity Combat Stress.
Miss McCarthy has designed a logo which brings together her brother's two passions for hockey and the RAF.
Fundraising ideas for 2015 include a ball and a fire brigade car wash. There will also be supermarket bag packs, bracelets and loom bands in RAF colours red and black, mud runs and a keg challenge to the top of the Wrekin with an annual Brent McCarthy trophy.
