How Jack Mitchell's fund helps orphans and endangered animals

On February 5, 2017, Jack Mitchell, 24, was killed in the Warehouse nightclub in Stroud.

At the time he was serving as a gunner in 32 Regiment, Royal Artillery. His death had a huge impact on his family, friends and colleagues, and the wider community.

Following his death, the people of Stroud and further afield responded with fantastic generosity and compassion and more than £5,000 was raised in his name.

Jack was a popular young man and many gave generous donations to his memorial fund

Jack was a popular young man who was starting on life’s journey. He had just completed a six-month posting to Nanyuki, Kenya, home of BATUK, British Army Training Unit.

During his posting to Kenya he developed a real love for the country. He and his army colleagues often volunteered to work at local orphanages, working on various projects to improve life for destitute children.

Like many young soldiers, Jack and his colleagues had nieces, nephews and young siblings of the same ages as the children they saw. Jack reflected that they all felt a duty to support them, and they enjoyed supporting the community.

Jack served in Kenya, and would often visit local orphanages with his colleagues

He was also a keen member of Painswick Rugby Football Club, where he is fondly remembered, and had a great love of rugby, supporting and following Gloucester and England when he could.

After his death, Jack’s friends and family were determined that his life should be commemorated and remembered in a way that reflected his own compassion and morality.

Money was donated to the family from all quarters, and Jack’s team mates at Painswick RFC and colleagues from the Army held commemorative fun day matches to raise money in his memory.

Each year a memorial match is played at Painswick RFC to raise money in Jack's name

The Mitchell family were overwhelmed with the generosity and support, but were then left with the conundrum of what to do with the money, and what would be the most appropriate legacy for Jack.

They were determined that every penny donated was to be focused on the most deserving, and that all the funds raised were put to the most beneficial use possible. The family agreed that Jack would have wanted a large proportion of the fund to support the children he had seen in the orphanages in Kenya, so enquiries were made as to how this could be done.

After contacting Stonehouse Rotary Club the family were directed to Carolyn and Bill Kirk, who had extensive experience and contact with orphanages in the Nanyuki area of Kenya.

Carolyn and Bill Kirk with Gem Dennis who helps orphans get rugby scholarships to schools

Carolyn and Bill identified a couple of projects that they felt would be fitting memorials to Jack, so it was agreed that funds were to be distributed to these.

The Kirks worked closely with Gem Dennis, a Kenyan who was employed by the British Army and who Jack had worked with during his time in Kenya.

By coincidence it was discovered that rugby is very effective in providing support to young people who have no other help in life.

In Kenya young children are quite well supported, but older children and young adults fall through the system due to lack of resources and poverty.

A classroom in an orphanage is now known as the Jack Mitchell Computer Room

Having identified that high schools in Nairobi and Mombasa will take children on rugby scholarships, Gem had already coached more than 600 children.

Four boys Gem coached were sent to college in Nairobi and won the Kenyan school’s championship. Last year, five girls he coached won scholarships to the school in the country.

Jack’s grandmother, Pauline Lister, joined Carolyn and Bill on one of their visits to Kenya, and Jack’s fund has now enabled four girls to have a scholarship to high school.

Jack's grandmother visited a Kenyan animal sanctuary which the fund now supports

At Nanyuki school one of the classrooms is now the Jack Mitchell Computer Room, and some of Jack’s fund was used to supply all of the computer desks and furniture.

To reflect Jack’s love of animals a donation was made to a wildlife orphanage, which will be used to build a proper shelter for the mountain bongo, an extremely rare mountain antelope driven almost to extinction by hunting, for meat and as a trophy. The conservancy has won acclaim as one of the most successful wildlife conservation projects, and the conservancy has released bongos into the Mount Kenya National Park, raising the population from zero in 1994 to 70 in 2010.

Jack loved the Kenyan wildlife

On the second anniversary of Jack’s death, his family are able to report that the generosity of all has made an improvement to the lives of people who are truly in need, and to help our animal friends as well.

Every penny of the money donated has been distributed for those that need it, nothing on expenses, fees, wages, or administration.

We will carry on the work in Jack’s memory, look for ways to donate sports kit and school clothing which we will advise on in due course.

On behalf of Jack, and his family, thank you very much for your support.

Jack's memory will live on through the lives of all the people, and animals, helped by the fund set up in his name.

You can donate to the Nanyuki Children’s Charitable Trust using the following details:

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