Fundraising In The Name Of Karen & Chris Puddifoot & Tim Roney
Originally an idea conceived by close friends of Karen’s as a tribute to her, the unfortunate events mean that this website is now dedicated to Karen & Chris Puddifoot, and Tim Roney.
Karen, Chris and Tim had taken time out of their education/work to cycle around the world to raise money for the British Lung Foundation (BLF) their aim was to cycle 12,000 miles.
Why choose the BLF? In 2007, James Harrison, Tim’s brother Simon’s best friend passed away as the result of a Pulmonary Embolism. James was obviously close to Tim but also a friend of Chris and Karen’s through not only the Roney family but also from primary school days as all three of them attended Eastbury Farm School in Northwood. When Tim thought of the idea of a round the world bike ride for charity there was no decision to make, the British Lung Foundation would be the beneficiary in memory of James. Chris was equally keen on the idea and in late 2008 the two boys started building their bikes and planning the trip.
Chris, Karen and Tim had completed the European leg of the journey covering 3000 miles; Karen and Tim had begun the Asian part of their journey with Chris to follow them in Perth, Australia in December 2009.
Karen (27) and Tim (21) passed away on 24th September 2009 in Ha Long Bay, Vietnam when travelling around the world heritage site on a tourist boat which capsized.
Following the passing of Karen, Chris’ sister, and Tim, his best friend, Chris remained at the family home in Northwood to support his parents and younger sister Catherine. On the 10th November 2009, Chris (22) passed away in a car accident.
We will now continue their journey.
Karen
Karen was an exceptionally talented artist, who had established a career in the film, television and theatre industries. She worked in the art and prop departments for many projects including the new Thomas the Tank Engine, The New World, Elizabeth: The Golden Age, The Dark Knight, Fred Claus and Harry Potter to name a few. Karen thrived on designing and creating in the hectic environments she worked in and loved to see her work as part of the final project.
Karen would always take on any challenge with passion, including deciding to join the cycle ride with very little training! Karen was a beautiful person who will be sorely missed everyday. Her laugh and smile will stay with us forever.
Chris
Chris was a tower of strength to his parents after Karen’s passing; he was warm and caring and was loved by all who met him. Chris will be remembered for the selfless concern that he always displayed towards his friends, his infectious laugh and his ability to lift the mood no matter what.
Chris’s generous nature was further displayed through his role as assistant manager at the St Lukes Hospice Shop in Pinner from which he took great satisfaction.
Having lost two of his best friends in Karen and Tim, Chris was already actively encouraging people to take part in events to raise monies for the British Lung Foundation and in particular the cycle ride planned around his sister’s places of work.
Tim
Tim was a best friend of Chris’, a friendship that was formed in the very first days as eleven year olds at Rickmansworth School, he was fun loving, energetic, always smiling, a good sportsman and would tackle almost anything whether it be climbing, judo, tennis, rugby, literally anything, he excelled in skiing, golf and cycling. He was a qualified ski instructor having been to Canada to qualify, and a cycle mechanic working in Cyclopedia in Watford.
Part of Tim’s adventurous nature gave him the idea of world travel which he then linked to riding his bike, and in wanting to help others he thought of sponsorship. The decision was made, a round the world bike ride was the answer and the British Lung Foundation the beneficiary in memory of James. Chris was equally keen on the idea and in late 2008 the two boys started building their bikes and planning the trip.
The Plan
As a dedication, their friends and family planned a number of events to raise money for the British Lung Foundation, and this continues as new challenges and ideas come along.
To kick off this fundraising, Clare Culverwell ran a 10K and managed to raise a massive £505, which was a fantastic achievement. Vodafone very kindly doubled the amount raised.
Watford Football Club were extremely helpful, the club very kindly printed the story in their match day programme which can be seen on their official website and allowed us to fund raise at the match on Boxing Day, 2009. The buckets were out in force, money was collected before the game, at half time and after the game had finished. We are pleased to say that a grand total of £2,036.00 was raised for the charity.
The next event was a 33.5 mile cycle ride. The route started at Karen’s home in Northwood stopping at Eastbury Farm School, West Herts College, Leavesden Film Studio, Pinewood Film Studio and then back to Northwood. It took place on Saturday 13th February 2010 to commemorate her birthday on the 15th February. This raised a fantastic £5,370!
Following hot on the heels was the Great London Swim, the Grove Farm Park Street Party. More recently, cousin, Katie Mellows climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania raising £885 and on the 7th November, cousin and Yorkshire Cricketer, Steve Patterson took in the New York Marathon raising £3,050.
In December an Art Exhibition, at the Wimbledon College of Art where Karen did her degree, ran over three days and has raised in excess of £7,000 to date.
More detail can be found on these events and future events under the Fund raising Events heading.
If you would like to sponsor us for a specific event these can be accessed via the Fundraising Events page or alternatively please visit the Breathe of Life through the website link, thank you. Further events will be published soon on Facebook, Twitter and of course, on the website.
