Smile for Joel gains official charity status

Smile for Joel has already raised £100,000 since its inception – and has now been granted official status.

The charity was set up to honour Joel Richards, Adrian Evans and Patrick Evans who were killed in Tunisia in 2015.

Joel's mother Suzy Evans and her son Owen – Joel's younger brother – set up the organisation to support other families who have been affected through similarly traumatic experiences.

Smile for Joel and helps families who are victims of traumatic bereavement through homicide.

Its mission statement says; "We give direct to families the support that they desperately need.

"This support is very diverse, from time out for family breaks, special counselling, help with purchases of gifts or that special gift to a family to show them someone does care."

Smile for Joel has worked closely with Victim Support since it was founded – and will continue to do so.

Fundraising events organised by the charity have included the Run for Joel in Sandwell Valley, a celebrity football match at Walsall's Banks's Stadium and numerous other evenings of entertainment.

Having charity status will allow Miss Evans the scope to 'change things for the better' in the travel industry.

She told the Express & Star: "We are very pleased and excited to announce that we now have charity status, and have raised over £100,000 for Victim Support.

"This means we can continue to grow on a bigger platform and continue to help families affected by murder.

"Smile for Joel is in memory of my family, but also in memory of all those that never came home – 38 innocent holidaymakers were killed that tragic day, and we never want them to be forgotten.

"Having charity status opens new doors for us and gives us more strength to go forward.

"We're going to still be in that partnership with Victim Support.

"Nothing will change on that side of it, but it will give me a chance to look at the travel industry and see how we can change things for the better."

Miss Evans, who has worked in the travel industry for more than 30 years, set out three aims for the charity as:

*To continue to work along side Victim Support to provide support to families affected by murder.

*To raise awareness of 'safety before a sale' by providing support to promote good practise to improve the safety of holiday makers.

*Promote a more tolerant and diverse society by seeking to promote British values in educational establishment.

Miss Evans added: "I have a strong desire to make changes to improve safety.

"We are already working alongside Mid Counties Co-op and Abta to look at changes to holiday safety.

"Tour operators currently do not do risk assessment on the security of a hotel.

"In this day and age this is needed. If security measures had been looked at in my family's hotel, lives may have been saved. It was stated in the inquest, this five-star hotel had the weakest security."

To contact Smile for Joel or for more information visit smileforjoel.com or facebook.com/smileforjoel/