PAUL UNGI FUNDRAISING TO DIFFERENT HEIGHTS

London Irish supporter Paul Ungi member of the “Green army” has been a real enthusiastic supporter of London Irish for a while and has constantly supported the London Irish Foundation since it was started in 2019.

When David Charter, a fellow member of the “Green Army” sadly passed this year, Paul decided to raise some funds in memory of David. When Nicole Pattison a member of the Foundation team spoke to Paul, he shared his fond memories of David.

“I first met David at a pre-match game at Hazelwood” Paul recalled. “He was a genuine, nice young man who was extremely knowledgeable about the sport. David was a great guy to chat and have a beer with. He was such a friendly face at the games, and he will be greatly missed.”

“When I heard the news about David, I felt it was important to recognise him in some way.” During the COVID-19 pandemic, a wall was installed at Hazelwood dedicated to tiles that supporters could have in their name. “Hazelwood is such a beautiful space, and this tile wall is a good way of reminding everyone of the supporters.”

Paul set up a crowd funding page in memory of David to purchase a tile in memory of him.

“London Irish Fans are so loving, giving, and close knit, kind of like a family. More money than I expected starting to come in, so I thought there was no better use of this money than to donate it to the foundation, especially as David was also a supporter of it.”

Donations were also made in memory of David by his friends and family to the London Irish Foundation through a legacy platform. Like David, Paul is a big advocate for young people and remarked at the positive impact that sport can have on people.

“These youngsters are the future of tomorrow and a lot are sometimes put to one side and not given the opportunity to flourish. The foundation does that, through the power of sport. It is great to see that the projects are working and giving young people the opportunity to move forward.

His unwavering support and dedication to support the communities that the foundation works with does not stop there. Paul is combining his love of mountains and fear of heights to undertake one of the world’s most epic challenges– trekking to Everest Base Camp.

“I’m going to be, at some point, 2000 metres under the “death zone” as it is known by mountaineers, which is the point in which that body will effectively start to eat itself due to lack of oxygen. 1 step will feel like 10 steps!”

Through his challenge, Paul is raising money for the foundation along with Papyrus UK who work to reduce the number of young people taking their own lives.

“I’m looking forward to it. It’s a challenge and it is important to challenge yourself in life”.

Andy Keast Chief Executive of the London Foundation said, “Paul has been an incredible supporter of ours since day one. His humble support of David and his family, shows his real desire to support others. We sincerely thank Paul whilst sending him our best wishes and support with his challenge”.