For Imogen, Ragnar, Magnus & Sanderson

Update: June 21st June 2023

We began fundraising in early May to provide support for Imogen Moore-Shelley while she was going through treatment for her recently diagnosed brain cancer. As you undoubtedly know, Imogen died suddenly on May 28th, 2023 aged 34.

We launched this page when we heard the shocking news, to help her boys, Ragnar (4) and Magnus (1) in the wake of this devastating tragedy. Since she passed away, so many of you have been keen to help; the kindness and generosity shown has been extraordinary.

We (Julie & Nick Simon) are organising this fundraising appeal on behalf of Sanderson Jones, and his two sons Ragnar & Magnus Moore-Shelley (many of you will know 'Sanderson Jones' is his stage name and that his pre-comedy name is ‘Tom Shelley’). Whichever name you know him by, you will have seen his love and dedication to beautiful Imogen.

This was initially a private GoFundMe page to give friends and family the opportunity to offset the immediate costs of the funeral and to cope with sudden financial pressure.

With every day that passes the stark realities of Imogen’s death become clear. We want to raise money for the family so that the boys can live the life Imogen wanted for them.

All funds raised here will go to Sanderson and the children. He is the only person able to access and withdraw funds.

Separately, Imogen’s family and friends intend to find a way to honour Imogen and the life she devoted to helping others, and we will keep you updated on those plans too.

—--------------------------------- Message from Sanderson —--------------------------------------

“Hi everyone,

A quick message to say thanks so much to everyone who has already given money, and to all those who will.

Imogen and I were slightly shocked in early May when friends said they wanted to raise funds for her. After some umming and ahhing and generally being a bit mortified, we accepted. As a result, Imogen was able to start working with a keto nutritionist (if only she’d started earlier!).

Right now, I know that Imogen would want to know that the boys are being looked after. My entire focus at the moment is on arranging the funeral and making sure that the boys have the right care and support they need as they learn to live without their mum.

However, Imogen would give me a huge bollocking if we didn’t remember her by raising money for causes she championed in her life. I promise we will do that.

My friends have told me not to make any rash commitments while I’m grieving, so I won’t say: “We will commit to raising double the amount of money for charity that we do in this crowdfunder”. Instead, what I do promise is that, when the dust is settled, I will work hard to raise funds for the causes which were so important to Imogen: education, young people, neurodiversity and the local community.

Thanks so much for your generosity.

P.s. Finally (and it is genuinely funny to have to share this now): on the crowdfunder you will learn that ‘Sanderson Jones’ is a stage name (Imogen learnt that on our third date). I was christened Thomas and my family call me Tom. Through a strange quirk of fate I now have a professional name ‘Sanderson Jones’ (like Lady Gaga).

June 2023

--------------------------------------------------

BIO - Imogen Moore-Shelley

Imogen Moore-Shelley dedicated her life to helping others. At 14 she represented her home county of Sussex in the UN youth parliament, the start of a lifelong career as a social activist. The following year she founded the Uckfield Festival after securing a grant from Nesta. Her aptitude for languages landed her her first jobs in China as a chaperone for the Miss World pageant, and in Zurich overseeing behavioural analysis programmes with two children with severe autism.

After enrolling in a BA in Social Anthropology and Development Studies at the School of Oriental and African Studies, Imogen became one of the most active and beloved students on campus. Here she started a community organising society, leading the first improv comedy team, and even found time to start a childcare business.

Recognising her talents, community organising charity Citizens UK took her in as a trainee while she was still a student. During this time, she supported the residents of a large council estate in Wandsworth to build a public enquiry and successfully helped prevent the detention of children for immigration reasons.

After graduating, she became a full-time Community Organizer. In Southwark, she worked with community leaders to improve housing, improve relationships with the police, and promote the living wage. Meanwhile, she completed an MA in community organising at Queen Mary, solidifying her lifelong belief that poverty can have an enormous impact on psychology, and children need support to level the playing field.

A lifelong learner, Imogen actively sought out ways to improve her work through research. After being granted the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust Fellowship, she travelled to both the United States and Brazil, to learn how they organised and improved local communities. She took this knowledge back to communities in Southwark, where she became known for her considered and thoughtful organising.

As lead of the Strengthening Babies Futures project, she founded MumSpace, which gave support to pregnant women and women with babies — while empowering them to become leaders.

Early to rise, during her career, Imogen completed both an MA in psychology at Birkbeck and a Master's Degree in Psychology and Education at Cambridge, where she developed her understanding about the consequences of poverty in early childhood for brain development and learning. As a trustee for Youth Futures, she worked both to support young people and challenge stereotypes of young people in the media.

Arguably her most significant professional achievement was the founding of Young Minds Squared and (C.I.C.) Connections in Mind, along with Dr Bettina Hohnena. The organisations served the neurodivergent community, and pioneered Executive Function Coaching in the UK. Together they sought to remedy the well-established link between poverty, trauma and executive function deficits.

Both as a Lead Guide for Shift in Bexley, and most recently, working for the London Borough of Redbridge as Seven Kings Hub lead, she made a sizeable impact. In their words: “Her authenticity, warmth, curiosity, vulnerability, expertise and openness were such a central, powerful part of our identity and our approach - and blew away all sorts of local government cobwebs and pl/attitudes. In being herself, she liberated others to be more fully themselves.”

A few months ago, Imogen was accepted for a PhD in clinical psychology at the University of East London.

Written by Carmen Guillen in June 2023

—----------------------------

Original post: May 27th 2023

In light of the devastating news about Imo, we are raising money to help Tom and family in the coming weeks.