Well THAT went rather well!!!! :-D
An unbelieavable amount of people turned out, to swim, to count lengths, and to support the swimmers in their efforts, and it's estimated the total raised for the RMCTF in total will be £3000!!!!

Julie really wants to pass on her thanks to all of Pioneer 79 past and present,and also to QEGS not only for the school captains board, but to just convey how wonderful it was for everyone to do the swim in the school that David loved so much.

So.. has everyone seen the total..?...
Not bad...when we set ourselves a goal of £5000, in 12 months. ;)

I'd say £16,000, in 16 months, is something to be proud of. (*understatement*)

And I'm sbolutely sure, that David would be so proud of his family and friends, (and to be honest,I bet he never doubted it for one minute) ;)

Thank you very much, for eveyone who has decided to make a difference, in whatever way they did, because of David.

SO much help for other Royal Marines and their families,and you've been so much help, to my family.  (I'm hoping they might rest for a while now..) ;)
A BEYOND proud cousin and neice... :)  Julia xXx

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A 42 mile swim??? - No problem!!! :D
Emily and her friends have come up with a fantastic idea of getting as many people as possible together to swim a mile each and hopefully reach a total of 42 miles! (as David was in 42 Commando of course).
It takes place on 27th December, 13:00-16:00 at QEGS swimming pool (as David was swimming captain there). We're hoping for Pioneer 79 to get as involved as possible (as all the Fairbrothers used to swim for them) and we want to see what you can still do! ;)

Perhaps you'd like to pledge 20p or even 50p a mile for example for however many miles the the group complete!!! As always all donations are so, so welcome and go to a fantastic cause, giving us all the motivation to continue these efforts and drive to raise money for the RMCTF.

(If anyone would like to see the results of the last major fundraiser (details of which were added further below at the time..) Julie's SkyDive can be watched here!!:

http://vimeo.com/39972959 )

Thank all very much for your continued support.
Davids family and friends. JH xxx
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**November 2012 update!!!**

Well what a few months it's been... of course we passed the anniversary of David's death.. a time to remember him and celebrate the happy memories we all hold of him, and be proud.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ps-B86xIlY0

Not long after was Remembrance Day, involving David's family not only going to the Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall but also laying a wreath in his memory in the Corporation Park Memorial Garden, after Canon Andrew Hindley spoke warmly of David at Blackburn Cathedral's Remembrance Day Service.

http://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/news/10040746.Blackburn_Cathedral_packed_to_capacity_for_Remembrance_service/

A day to remember those who have made the ultimate sacrifice in conflicts past and present, and to pay our respects so that those sacrifices are never forgotten.

As ever, David's family and friends strive to fundraise in his memory and celebrate life. To honour him and his outlook.. more news to follow!!!! (Julia x)

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It's nearly time everyone! Anyone fancy jumping out of plane like David did over 100 times...? :D

Emily writes:

***so after the craziness of tough guy we thought we would continue raising money by doing another one of Davids hobbies, skydiving. So on the 7th april Julie, Ruth, Emily and about 20 other of David's family and friends are taking part in a tandem sky dive!!!! (The sight of us all doing a skydive and pooing our pants as we jump out the plane is going to be so funny and we would like to make it all worth while by raising loads of money!) Any donations would be greatly appreciated!****

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So on the 29th Jan a group of family and friends took part in the 'Tough Guy' challenge. Thank you to everyone who supported us doing this event. Was a great day, even though i thought my hands were going to fall off becasue i was so cold! but we all braved the conditions and finished the event in memory of David. It was definately a once in a lifetime experiance! Emily xxx

Thanks everyone for their continued donations, the total is rising and amazing to see, and on Sunday 29th Jan, Team David might just attempt the impossible...! ;) I'll be photographing them at their best and worst moments :D - but would just like to say how INSPIRED I am by them all! Good luck! :)
Julia xxx

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David should be waking up on home soil today with the rest of 42 Commando. Despite this, his family will continue to do him proud. Many thanks to everyone who had passed on their thoughts, and who have donated... x

(updated 05/10)

Thank you for taking the time to visit our JustGiving page,created in David's memory.

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(*FUNDRAISING NEWSFLASH* - please read to the end)

Being a Marine meant the world to David and he was extremely proud to have achieved this. We his family and friends are of course enourmously proud of him too, and this is an opportunity to help a Charity that was very close to David's heart. The RMCTF aims to help serving and retired Royal Marines and their dependants. It's current challenge is to raise £6M by the 350th anniversary of the Royal Marines in 2014. You will hear of David's family, friends, and anyone that has been moved by his death conducting various fundraising activities over the coming months. We want to contribute toward this challenge. It is our way of giving something back.

This will include David's mum Julie doing a SKYDIVE! Skydiving was one of David's passions, and Julie has decided to challenge herself and take part, knowing how proud he would be of her. Watch this space!!!! (*-I've written it so there's no backing out now Aunty Julie!ha! JH)

David's full Military Funeral was held on Tuesday 4th October at Blackburn Cathedral.Well over 1,200 people attended to pay their respects, of which we say a heartfelt thankyou. He was laid to rest at St Peters Church in Salesbury, and the wake was held at Mytton Fold in Langho, where his best friends paid tribute to his eventful and memorable life, with a slideshow of photographs broadcast to a packed room, all in admiration, at the 24 years that David had lived.

David was a wonderful person. An amazing son, brother, boyfriend, and friend. This is now our opporunity to make David as proud of us, as we are of him. Thank you very much for any amount of donation, small or not so small. Every pound is appreciated.

David's Family and Friends x