Thank you for visiting John Paul's Just Giving page. Many of you came to John Paul's service and donated money.  This collection has been given as one off donations to North London Cats Adoption Centre and De Paul Homelessness -  so thank you.

We wanted to do something else special in John Paul's memory that had a more of lasting legacy; something that would, like John Paul, help and inspire people on an on-going basis.  We have spent the last few months trying to work out how best to do this, looking for the right charity and cause that not only reflects John Paul's beliefs but that would truly benefit from his, and all of our, support.

With this in mind, we have decided to support Hackney's Quest and here's a little bit about why we've chosen to work with them, in John Paul's name.

John Paul lived and worked in London all of his life and for the last five of them his home was in Dalston, Hackney.

As we all know (!), John Paul lived his life to its fullest. He loved sport and as a youngster he had the opportunity to play in a Sunday League for many years; more recently he took up snowboarding and Tai Chi, in which he went on to win an individual Bronze and Team Gold in Germany.

John recently also became very involved in drama and many of you met and worked with him through it. He trained for a year with the Brian Timoney Actors' Studio, which in turn led to a casting agency signing him onto their books. Earlier this year he played a lead in a short film Salome which was taken to the Sundance and Cannes Film Festivals.

John Paul had great empathy with young people and always supported their desires, energy and ability to better themselves. He was concerned with helping others who were less fortunate than himself and in giving them an opportunity to develop themselves, so as to benefit from a better future.

Hackney Quest's Youth Activity Engagement Programme gives disadvantaged young people in Hackney the opportunity to develop skills and foster relationships that might not normally be accessible to them, which in turn encourages them to make positive life choices. All monies donated in John Paul's memory will go towards creating a number of new workshops and opportunities in sport and drama developed in collaboration with us, John Paul's family, and Hackney Quest.

We believe that this initiative is something that would resonate with John Paul and one that he would support wholeheartedly. Everyone who knew John was touched by his warmth, caring and compassion.   We ask that you help us make a difference where it's needed and give 'John-generously' towards this important cause.

We look forward to keeping everyone updated with news and photos of funded activities as they develop.

Love,

John Paul's family xxx

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity. So it’s the most efficient way to donate – saving time and cutting costs for the charity.