“WE thought we would raise some money and help some people in Colchester and roundabout - but we had no idea we would be able to reach out all over the country.”

Rob George’s father Philip by his own admission had no idea how far the Rob George Foundation would reach nor how many lives it would help.

But reach out it has.

The foundation was born out of tragedy. Rob lost his battle with leukaemia in 2013 when he was just 21.

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But the multi-talented sportsman was determined to leave a legacy.

Before he died, he was central in setting up the charity and cultivating its two aims.

The first was to provide practical or financial support to young people with life threatening or terminal illnesses.

The second was to help those with an exceptional commitment to sport or performing arts but who may be held back from their goals financially.

The charity is one of the few in the country whose goal is to help individuals.

Applications for grants are now received every working day from the length and breadth of the country.

Individuals can ask for up to £1,500 each time, and every one is assessed by the charity’s dedicated team of seven trustees who assess whether it meets the criteria.

So far, they have helped 819 young people at an average of £643 per grant.

Heartbreakingly, one applicant asked purely for enough money to buy a coat because he did not have the money himself.

As well as supporting people in Colchester - boxing Olympic hopeful Lewis Richardson has successfully applied for grants - word has spread all over the country.

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More than £20,000 has been spent in the north west of England, with grants also sent to Scotland and Northern Ireland.

They are able to help people coming out of long-term illnesses with things such as driving lessons and gym memberships to help their independence.

“People sometimes assume young people who are ill are taken care of,” trustee David Cant explains.

“That is not the case.

“Young people and their parents can be miles away from where their treatment is.

“They can become isolated from their friends and our grants can actually help them stay in touch.

“Once treatment is over we can do something to help them get their lives back.

“Driving lessons can give them a real purpose.

“Often, the one thing they are striving for is independence to live their own lives.

“Being able to drive enables them to expand the jobs they can go for and start earning their own money.

“They have been through hell and it can help just to know somebody cares about them.”

And those excelling in sport or the arts can have their paths blocked through no fault of their own.

Mr Cant said: “Every year you carry on the training and the equipment gets ever more expensive.

“Once you get to university age, then you tend to be competing all across the country and that costs money on top of the expense of higher education.

“And if you buy a teenager sports kit, the amount they wear it and the speed they grow, you are going to need more sooner rather than later.”

The foundation now has an established presence and youngsters are being told about their work by children’s cancer charity CLIC Sargent, amongst others.

Their resources, and subsequently their ability to give grants, are finite, however, and although grant recipients sometimes fundraise for them, and Loughborough University, where Rob attended, also raises cash, the majority of funding comes from Colchester.

“We have an absolutely wonderful band of really loyal supporters,” David said.

“And the big thing people often don’t realise is we are genuinely helping people all over the country.

“None of the trustees take a wage, and we don’t say that wanting any kind of credit, it is just to show that the money really does go towards grants we are giving out.”

The charity’s unofficial third aim is where they have found the greatest frustration.

When Rob was taken ill in 2011, he had to defer his second year at university meaning he missed out on his student loan.

He was also unable to work, but was advised he would qualify for Employment Support Allowance, but was rejected.

The family then won an appeal,but Rob did not receive any money for months. By that time, he was in remission and had found himself employment.

But by the following summer, the leukaemia had returned.

Amazingly, another ESA claim was thrown out by the tribunal, despite the previous ruling.

The saga has seen the foundation throw its weight behind the Marie Curie campaign Scrap The Six Months which aims to make it easier for people with terminal illness to get the benefits they are entitled to.

They also want to improve the benefit situation for students who are taken ill.

They have held discussions with ministers but reshuffles, General Elections and Brexit have put the brakes firmly on any real progress on the issue.

“In order to be dealt with as a priority you have to got to have proof you are going to die within six months,” Philip explained.

“Rob was told there was nothing more they could do only a month before he actually died.

“We call them the forgotten tribe. You honestly would not believe people could be treated as badly as they are.

“It felt like the DWP wanted to get rid of us as soon as possible. Something has to change.”

Their fight to improve the lives of people up and down the country is in keeping with the foundation’s ethos.

And you would not bet against them getting it done.

More details on the charity and events can be found at www.therobgeorgefoundation.org.