A CHARITY which aims to ensure young people can take part in performing arts has been launched in memory of a dale choir leader who was killed in a car accident.
Mum-of-two Amy Purvis was just 36 when she died after her car was hit by a drink-driver as she was returning to her Richmond home from a rehearsal of the Euphoria Choir in December 2021.
The choir continued with Amy’s sister Beth coming forward as leader before performing a final show in December 2022.
In the meantime, family and friends from the choir began raising funds to set up a charity to continue Amy’s passion for helping young people take to the stage.
Some £7,000 has been raised and the Euphoria Trust for Creative Arts has now been registered.
Cloedie Yeadon, one of the charity’s seven trustees, said: “Amy was very keen for all children to have the opportunity to perform when she ran the choir.
“Her dedication to creative arts and personal touch made a huge impact on many lives.
“We decided to set up the charity in her memory to help children who were missing out.”
One of the stated aims of the charity is to promote the creative arts for young people in Teesdale and offer financial support to those who need it.
This could include covering the costs of music or dance lessons and paying for instruments or equipment.
Ms Yeadon said the trust would be working with schools and other organisations across the dale to identify those who could benefit and refer them to the charity.
“We are just finding our feet at the moment and putting information packs together to send out.” The bulk of the cash to launch the trust was raised during a fundraising walk along the 73-mile Cumbria Way in October 2022, which included donations from dale organisations such as The Clique, Rotary, Smiths and Wycliffe Church and many individual sponsors.
Ms Yeadon said fundraising activities would continue with another walk planned in September.
This time, the group aims to tackle the 80-mile Dales Way from Ilkley to Bowness. She said setting up the charity had been a long process.
“It was not something we had done before, so we had a lot of help.
“Now it’s a case of getting round everyone, promoting it and making sure people are aware of it,” she added.
Anyone who would like more information about the charity can email euphoria trust@outlook.com.
![A COUNTY councillor is backing a campaign to get a pedestrian crossing in Staindrop. Frustrated parish councillors in the village summoned their county council representative Cllr George Richardson to their latest meeting to discuss several issues, including the call for a safe way to cross the A688. Earlier this year their request for a crossing was turned down by the county council’s highways officers. Parish council chairman Jonothan Raper described the reasons for the refusal as “spurious” and called on Cllr Richardson to support their campaign. He added: “One of the arguments they made was there is no clear line of desire when they studied the village – well this isn’t a clear line of desire because there isn’t a crossing, people cross whenever they can. “When the lollipop person was there, one of the things I noticed was people would walk all the way down to the lollipop person to cross the road to go to the shop or to go to the school.” He added a problem of parking at the primary school is exacerbated because people are too afraid to walk their children across the road. Cllr Richardson said he had supported previous attempts for a crossing point with the first being made about 15 years ago. He added: “We went fairly well down the road with that and they looked into it. The only recommended place was where the bus stop is and to get the visibility splays, people on the other side of the road would lose their parking. “That didn’t go down well so it just died a death.” Cllr Raper said he suspected the real reason for the officers’ refusal was the cost of installing a crossing. He added that much of the cost could be recovered from savings made on not having to employ a lollipop patrol. Cllr Raper said: “A lollipop person only provides a benefit of crossing for three hours of the day. You are getting 21 extra hours of crossing time [with a pedestrian crossing].” Cllr Richardson said he would raise the issue with the county council’s cabinet member for highways, Cllr John Shuttleworth.](https://teesdalemercury.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/georgeR-120x86.jpg)
