About Charlie's Trust.

We are a charitable trust which was set up in memory of Charlie Liversidge, a seven year old boy who died after being knocked down in a neighbours driveway in April 2008.

Our aims

Charlie's Trust will work towards the advancement of education opportunities for children and young people in South Yorkshire and North East Derbyshire.

Its first objective is to raise £250,000 to help build a community hall which will house a feeder nursery for the small village school Charlie attended, Penny Acres Primary in Holmesfield.

The new building will adjoin St. Swithins Church in the village, and will also double as a community facility for local Scout groups and villagers.

Charlie, who died a week before his eighth birthday, benefited hugely from the homely atmosphere at Penny Acres, where children are just six to a class. There are currently just 34 children enrolled there, and there must be at least 40 if the school is to maintain funding from the Government.

His parents Andrew and Jo Liversidge, along with his sisters Jessica, Gabriella and Olivia, hope that a feeder nursery will secure the school's long term future.

Jo Liversidge explains: 'Charlie was a genuinely extraordinary child, full of life and humour with a passion for everything from gymnastics to tree-climbing. But while he had a very active and roving imagination, he wasn't always so confident away from his close family and friends.

'The individual attention given to him by his teachers and the homely, nurturing atmosphere at Penny Acres helped to harness and focus Charlie's boundless energy while encouraging him to learn and explore his true potential.

'We want to do everything we can to ensure the school has a long-term future, so that other local children can benefit just as much as Charlie did.'

Several activities have already been arranged by family, friends and work colleagues to help raise funds for the Trust, including a trek across Iceland, a five-a-side football competition and an art auction.

Charlie's auntie Beverley Webster, who runs Leeds and Sheffield-based wealth management company Prosperis Limited, is chair of the Trust. She says those closest to Charlie have been comforted by the outpouring of support so far:

'People have been so kind, and the corporate community has been particularly generous. Both Halliwells and Irwin Mitchell have made donations to the Trust already.'

Charlie always said that he would be famous one day, even if it was only for 15 minutes - we hope that through people's help and generosity, Charlie's moment of fame will last for many years to come.

The vicar of St. Swithin's, Rev William Eardley is also a trustee of the charity. Charlie is buried in the church's small graveyard, and his fellow pupils say hello to him as they walk through it on their way to and from school each day.

More than 400 mourners packed the tiny church at his funeral on 29th of April. The accident happened eight days earlier on Abbeydale Road South in Dore, Sheffield.

In a statement released after his death Charlie's family said he was 'a beautiful boy who inspired others to laugh, love and care about life.'