- A
- J
- L
On the 29th October 2020 I lost my beautiful husband Ric after his year long battle with Cancer.
Ric was a true visionary, his talents to create, mend, renovate or design, surpassed anyone else I know. One day out for a walk we come across an old, neglected wide beam boat and I saw a glimmer in his eye, it had always been his dream to own one and supply a retirement fund for ourselves.
On a shoestring budget and with limited time he began the monstrous task of transforming the wide beam boat single handedly. He battled the elements and worked on her everyday dusk till dawn until the budget ran out and we had to open for further funds.
On the 30th November 2019; our opening day, we had a £20 float, welcoming faces and the hope that customers could see the boats potential. Beyond Ric’s imagination people were in awe of his achievements and little do they know how much commitment and determination it took.
Then our world came crashing, a couple of days after opening he was diagnosed with oesophageal cancer! His fear of not completing what he started devastated him. We began looking for treatment and the boat had to take a back seat.
As the months went by the realisation hit that Ric’s illness wasn’t treatable. Throughout all of this he kept working on the boat, desperate to finish it and leave behind something for my future, but with Covid, zero funds and no help from the government, we were at standstill. The realisation that his dream was something he could no longer be apart of hit him hard but myself and the family promised Ric we would fulfil his dream and complete the boat in his memory.
We have set up a GoFundMe page if anyone would like to support our small, family business and help towards finishing the boat. The money will go solely on the Evergreen Cafe to purchase new batteries, to complete the electrics, to add heating onboard, to build a hatch to serve outside, to purchase a professional coffee machine, to fit a white boiler, to add seating and a covering outside and many more tasks to keep our boat cafe running and make mine and Ric's dream come true.
We can’t thank everyone enough for the support we have received over this awful year, especially after the announcement of Ric's passing, we have been truly overwhelmed.
Ric was a true visionary, his talents to create, mend, renovate or design, surpassed anyone else I know. One day out for a walk we come across an old, neglected wide beam boat and I saw a glimmer in his eye, it had always been his dream to own one and supply a retirement fund for ourselves.
On a shoestring budget and with limited time he began the monstrous task of transforming the wide beam boat single handedly. He battled the elements and worked on her everyday dusk till dawn until the budget ran out and we had to open for further funds.
On the 30th November 2019; our opening day, we had a £20 float, welcoming faces and the hope that customers could see the boats potential. Beyond Ric’s imagination people were in awe of his achievements and little do they know how much commitment and determination it took.
Then our world came crashing, a couple of days after opening he was diagnosed with oesophageal cancer! His fear of not completing what he started devastated him. We began looking for treatment and the boat had to take a back seat.
As the months went by the realisation hit that Ric’s illness wasn’t treatable. Throughout all of this he kept working on the boat, desperate to finish it and leave behind something for my future, but with Covid, zero funds and no help from the government, we were at standstill. The realisation that his dream was something he could no longer be apart of hit him hard but myself and the family promised Ric we would fulfil his dream and complete the boat in his memory.
We have set up a GoFundMe page if anyone would like to support our small, family business and help towards finishing the boat. The money will go solely on the Evergreen Cafe to purchase new batteries, to complete the electrics, to add heating onboard, to build a hatch to serve outside, to purchase a professional coffee machine, to fit a white boiler, to add seating and a covering outside and many more tasks to keep our boat cafe running and make mine and Ric's dream come true.
We can’t thank everyone enough for the support we have received over this awful year, especially after the announcement of Ric's passing, we have been truly overwhelmed.
Organizer and beneficiary
Kate Walsh
Organizer
Olivia Sweeney
Beneficiary