Richard died of a congenital heart defect that is mostly undetected in current medical practice. This type of heart condition affects many people but is not routinely tested for, and is frequently fatal when not discovered and treated appropriately.

In Richard’s case the coroner found it was the high entry point of the left coronary artery that ultimately caused acute cardiac failure. This is a sudden and silent killer, often of young and healthy people like Richard. More research into the diagnostics of congenital heart defects is desperately needed.

Any bereavement is an impossibly difficult journey. In the case of Richard this was also sudden, traumatic, and untimely.

Grief is all too commonly an unacknowledged part of society, even though it affects us all. The resources available and understanding given to people suddenly finding themselves in a bereaved situation are extremely limited. Our wish is to create more support for people effected by a sudden loss.

Richard was incredibly passionate about Iceland, which he often called his spiritual home. The majestic landscape and natural habitat inspired him to work many summers as a volunteer on behalf of the Icelandic Environment Agency. He lead trail teams who were tasked to protect and manage the striking and fragile environment. More information can be found at:

https://ust.is/english/

The foundation aims to encourage and support keen environmentalists to continue with the work Richard undertook in Iceland.

Weaving & Education in Myanmar.

Myanmar was one of Richard’s favourite countries. Despite their recent turbulent history, the people of Myanmar are resilient and beautiful. Richard's experiences there really touched his heart. He and Henry visited Myanmar many times and became friends with Mai Ni Ni Aung. Ni Ni spent many years documenting the tribal weaving traditions of her Chin tribe and set up a social enterprise to keep the skills alive. This incorporated a traditional weaving workshop in the town of Minbya and an adjoining school to educate the underprivileged children of the weavers. There are three specific projects that rely on financial support:

1. A village education project in 10-15 villages for primary and middle school students.

2. A residential education programme in Minbya for high school students.

3. Weaving workshops where there is ongoing training for women. These workshops bring together women of different generations to master the art of weaving traditional patterns and designs.

The projects rely on private funding and Le Petit Singe will make grants to assist with the running of these.

Tibetan Refugees.

In 2010 Richard spent several months teaching English to Tibetan refugees in the town of McLeod Ganj near Dharamsala. He lived communally with the students and their very basic amenities, washing in the cold mountain stream and understanding the challenges they faced whilst helping with their education.

There are several charities supporting Tibetan Refugees, Le Petit Singe will make grants to support these charities and individuals who are considering opportunities to work abroad in a similar way.