Success

Reg. Charity No.1117509

The Matthew Fulham Foundation

Picture Of Matthew 3 weeks before his death

I would just like to let you know that our campaign to get the Government to pay compensation to those affected by terrorism overseas has succeeded. The Gov' will now help those in the future who are affected by terrorist acts along the lines of the criminal injuries compensation board. They will also back date this to 2002 for those who "continue to face hardship as a result of the ongoing consequences of a disability arising from the injuries they sustained".

We personally will not get anything and that has never been our aim. We just didn't want anyone to have to go through what we did (for us after losing Matthew in Sharm El Sheikh in July 2005). Its been a hard four and half years to get the government to recognise this.

There were three people from Sharm who thought that this was not just, especially after being told that 'we should sue the perpetrators for compensation' by OUR government. How do you sue a suicide bomber? How do you even begin to think! After your world has been literally blown apart?

Those were Trevor Lakin, John Cork and I. Trevor opted to be our single point of contact in our efforts to get the government to recognise the plight and needs of British Citizens affected by terrorism overseas, John Cork, took on the insurance companies and I took on the charitable role.

Trevor has done a sterling job, fighting for those in the past and in the future to get financial assistance at their greatest time of need. The result is the change in the governments attitude and achieving compensation for those in the future.

John to has worked extremely hard to get the insurance companies to remove the 'exclusion for terrorist acts' from travel insurance. Also to try and get a fund for such eventualities covered b the major insurance companies.

We have set up www.matthewfulham.org which is not just for Matthew but all those affected by terrorism in the past. We have raised money and given financial assistance to those from the Turkey and Sharm El Sheikh bombings.

Since the government gave the £1 million endowment to the Red Cross. We have supported the young talented musicians in our Area providing a Bursary of £1000 to a young musician each year and partnering the Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council in the Proms in the Park event (12 June this Year).

As a group, we all complained that this was insufficient to fund help to people after a terrorist attack overseas. What was needed was something similar to the criminal injuries compensation scheme. The government now agree and have set the wheels in motion to make it law.

There is a long list of people that need to be thanked for their un-stinting work and support for this cause (both nationally and locally). Many of whom my memory fails me, but those people know who they are and we thank you from our hearts for your efforts. They include people from the Red Cross, Lovells law firm, members of Parliament (from both commons and the Lords), friends, family and other well wishers.

For More Info see the BBC Web Site