The Friends were saddened to hear of the death of our first Chairman and founder, Piers Eley, in October 2024. Piers was instrumental in setting up the charity and in raising the £250,000 from local residents, parishioners, and local charities, that was required to underpin the Tower and Spire of St Matthias, at risk of collapse in the late 1980’s.
Under Piers’ energetic leadership and subsequent fund-raising efforts included many years of musical concerts and art fairs, these monies enabled various significant internal works to be carried out – such as the repainting of the chancel ceiling and the side chapel and the installation of lighting above the nave and in the choir stalls – and also the purchase of a set of staging for hosting events in the church.
The Friends were surprised and delighted to hear that Piers had left FoSM a bequest and we are extremely grateful for his generous gift and that we remained in his thoughts after he had retired from active work for the charity. We will invest this wisely for now and look for a suitable way to use these funds, as Piers would have wished. The above photograph shows Piers in Richmond Park, where he was very active with the Friends of Richmond Park.
Chris Pearson, Chair of Trustees, FoSM (September 2025)
