Lynn Dimery, Josh’s mother, comments: “We were absolutely devastated when our son unexpectedly took his own life in January 2020. After initially donating some of Josh’s abandoned surfboards in his workshop to the charity Surfers Not Street Children in South Africa, a charity that Josh had talked about passionately and was planning on helping. We decided it was also important to do something positive and meaningful a little closer to home. Josh was a huge sports fan and would be so proud to see his legacy support local children through sport.” Launched on 31st October to commemorate Josh's birthday, the charity will work with local authorities in the South West to identify children who would most likely benefit from Phrenix Support. The support can include anything from paying for team or individual sports coaching, after school sports clubs that incur additional fees, kit, training equipment and/or tournament fees. The funding will help remove some of the barriers disadvantaged young people face when participating in sports outside of their school timetable. Keith Dimery, Josh’s father, adds: “Research suggests that physical activity can boost self-esteem and reduce depression and anxiety in children. That said, accessing extra-curricular sporting activities isn’t a level playing field. Children from the poorest backgrounds are three times more likely to not take part in any extra-curricular activity compared to those from the richest families. “Phrenix will enrich the lives of disadvantaged children by helping provide the means for them to enjoy a sport or activity that they otherwise would not be able to take part in.”
Josh's company “Phrenix Surf” was followed by many surfers and friends. His dream was to build a company with the name Phrenix as his brand, hence the simple charity name “Phrenix”.
Josh loved all kinds of sport, he was a keen rugby and hockey player as well as a fine swimmer. Some of the surfboards that were left in his workshop after his death have since been transferred to a charity helping vulnerable street children get into surfing in South Africa.
Josh would have loved this as we know that he was already talking about trying to help this particular charity. Simply put, the aim of the Phrenix charity is to do something in a meaningful positive way by raising money to help enrich the lives of disadvantaged children by providing the means for them to enjoy a sport or activity that they otherwise would not be able to take part in.