Tony Jules gets his angel

Tony Jules from Sundon Park in Luton has completed his mission of raising £40,000 from his hospice bed at Keech Hospice Care.

Tony, 63, has terminal prostate cancer but rather than dwelling on the “if only” and life’s regrets, he turned his room at Keech into a fundraising hub to buy an angel – the cost of a nurse for one year.

Tony said he’s delighted to have reached his goal and is overwhelmed by the public’s support.

“I’m so grateful to have been able to achieve my final mission and know my final legacy is in place before I die,” Tony said. “Thank you everybody. To see all of the messages of support on my Just Giving page is overwhelming and has spurred me on, not only with my fundraising, but with life in general.

“To have donations and kind words from people who have never met me and never will is heart-warming. Luton and its community have been so supportive. When I saw my angel mission had travelled as far afield as Ghana, the United States and Brazil, I was amazed,” he said.

Tony started his fundraising in August 2015 but has spent his whole life giving to the community.

“I’ve worked as the First Secretary for the Grenada High Commissioner, redeveloped troubled estates in London and was the Programme Director behind the £48.8 million regeneration of the troubled Marsh Farm Estate in Luton,” said Tony. “I always thought Futures House in Luton, which now provides a huge community hub for the people of the town, would be my legacy, but since coming to Keech, I wanted one more legacy in place before I die.

“I will never forget the morning a gentlemen and his wife came to drop off an envelope for me here at Keech,” said Tony. “They were from a local pub and the pub regulars had decided to have a whip round. The envelope was stuffed full of £1,000 in cash. One Monday morning another envelope arrived in the post at Keech, it was anonymous and just included a note which said: “For Tony’s Angel” and contained a cheque for £5,000. There are some very kind people in this world. A group of Mum’s took it upon themselves to put on a dance competition fundraiser to help me – I’d never met them. The UK Centre for Carnival Arts in Luton held a Calypso night and the residents of Marsh Farm in Luton also put on a community event. They are some of the big donations but as I’ve said from the very start ‘every penny counts,’ and I still standby that.

“I am more tired now than when I first set about getting my angel. My body is letting me down but my spirit is still very much shining on. I pray it’s not the case, but if others are ever unfortunate enough to find themselves in a similar position to myself, I hope they’re fortunate enough to have the excellent care and support me and my whole family continue to receive. It makes me happy knowing others, and their families, will benefit from my angel. God bless you and thank you all,” he said.

If you would still like to donate to Tony’s JustGiving page please visit www.justgiving.com/TonysAngel