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From here to eternity: How Soham schoolboy Liam Fairhurst’s legacy is living on




Life is measured in achievement, not in years alone.

A fitting tribute for Soham schoolboy Liam Fairhurst, who was just 10 when, in July 2005, he was diagnosed with synovial sarcoma, a rare soft tissue cancer.

Refusing to accept his condition was terminal he embarked on a remarkable campaign which he maintained throughout what were to be the last four years of his life, raising hundreds of thousands of pounds, with a further £7 million donated after his death on June 30, 2009.

Liam Fairhurst confident in November 2006 ahead of his one mile swim in memory of his friend Jack
Liam Fairhurst confident in November 2006 ahead of his one mile swim in memory of his friend Jack

Next month would have seen Liam turn 30 and this year his family, his parents Mark and Sarah and younger brother Callum, are planning to try to do 30 things to celebrate the life of a remarkable young man.

Liam was just 14 when he died, but his courage and determination to raise as much money as he could to help other children with cancer, and their families, saw him capture the nation's heart.

Spurred on to charity work after his friend Jack Wilkinson died of cancer in 2006, aged 12, Liam decided he wanted to raise money for the children’s cancer charity CLIC Sargent to provide a holiday home in Yorkshire for families living with childhood cancer.

Liam at USAF Mildenhall at a special day laid on by the USAF personel two weeks before he died
Liam at USAF Mildenhall at a special day laid on by the USAF personel two weeks before he died

Although at that time he was barely able to walk, he began his fund-raising with a one-mile swim in December of that year and raised £12,000.

In January 2007 he appeared on ITV's Fortune Million Pound Giveaway and persuaded a panel of millionaires including health club magnate Duncan Bannatyne to donate more than £50,000 to fund a holiday home named Liam and Jack's Haven, which opened later that year.

Just two months later, Liam was re-diagnosed with cancer in his lung but that did not deter him from setting himself a new fundraising target of £100,000.

In June 2007, Liam’s fund-raising achievements were recognised with a Diana Award, presented by Prime Minister Gordon Brown, and a month later, with the support of his local community, he smashed his £100,000 target and a year later he topped £200,000 by fronting an appeal to CLIC Sargent supporters.

Liam with his brother Callum outside 10 Downing Street
Liam with his brother Callum outside 10 Downing Street

He was voted Britain's Kindest Kid in a Five News/Charities Aid Foundation competition and his selfless determination to continue fund-raising led to a Child of Courage Award, presented by Sir Richard Branson and swimmer Rebecca Adlington, at the Pride of Britain Awards.

By June 2009, when Liam finally lost his battle with the cancer he had fought so hard, his fund-raising total stood at more than £320,000.

Liam’s younger brother Callum was just 12 when he died and, inspired by his legacy, with his parents Mark and Sarah he set up the Liam Fairhurst Foundation. He plunged his energy into fund-raising in his brother’s name, cycling more than 17,000 miles round the world in 2015-16 and driving a tuk-tuk trip around 27 European countries in 2017.

"We will always love and miss you." Liam with his mum Sarah. Inset: Outside 10 Downing Street with his brother Callum
"We will always love and miss you." Liam with his mum Sarah. Inset: Outside 10 Downing Street with his brother Callum

Callum, who is now a television reporter, had promised his dying brother he would live a great life and help others and, in 2019 while still studying at university, he started an online support group for grieving siblings called Sibling Support, which he said he hoped would help who he called the ‘sometimes forgotten grievers’ left behind after a young person died.

And in the year which would have marked Liam’s 30th birthday, Callum will be taking part in events to continue his legacy and celebrate his brother’s all-too-short life.

The family are planning a go-karting event at Red Lodge Karting, which they hope will attract 30 teams, and Mark is planning to swim a mile, remembering the event which kicked off Liam’s fund-raising odyssey.

With mum Sarah and brother Callum in the Cornish fishing village of Mevagissey in 2007
With mum Sarah and brother Callum in the Cornish fishing village of Mevagissey in 2007

The Liam Fairhurst Foundation continues to support causes close to the family’s heart, including the Just George campaign named after George Radcliffe, of Isleham, who died in October 2023 when he was only four, having been diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma, a soft tissue tumour.

“The truth of the matter is we will never get over losing Liam or wondering who he would be now, but we can ensure his legacy lives on through us,” said Sarah.

“I read a poem recently which had a line which resonated 'I missed you silently but to me that silence was so loud'.

“We will always love and miss you Liam and you will never be forgotten.

“For those who love, time is eternity.”

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