Staff at a leading art institution have been raising money for TASC, The Ambulance Staff Charity in memory of the partner of one of its managers who died suddenly.
A Just Giving page was set up by individuals at the Royal Academy of Arts in London in tribute to Robin Allum-Cornforth who passed away following a heart attack despite the efforts of ambulance paramedics to save him.
More than £850 has so far been raised on the Just Giving page, while a further £310 was collected for TASC from Robin’s funeral after his family asked for donations in lieu of flowers, with proceeds also going to the British Heart Foundation.
Robin, aged 30, had been the long-term partner of Natalie Bone, who is Senior Sponsorship and Partnerships Manager at the Royal Academy of Arts. Natalie, also 30, from Walthamstow in London, said it was decided to raise money for The Ambulance Staff Charity because of the “incredible” efforts of the six paramedics who fought to save Robin on the night he collapsed at home.
She said:
“He died of advanced coronary heart disease but he had no symptoms so we had no warning whatsoever that he had this condition. It was all a huge shock. He just woke me up in the middle of the night and said he was having trouble breathing. I immediately called for an ambulance and they were there in about four minutes. But in the intervening period he collapsed. It was really, really quick.
“While one paramedic was working on Robin they also called for help, so about six of them were working on him to stabilise him before they could take him to St Bartholomew’s Hospital. He’d gone into cardiac arrest so they were shocking him and also giving him CPR.”
Added Natalie:
“They were incredible and never gave up on him. They were working on Robin for about two hours and were very calm and collected throughout and also calmed me down. It got me thinking that had Robin survived, he would have recognised all of the hard work that the paramedics gave to him that night, so we were really happy to support TASC and the work that it does. I personally felt it very important to support the charity given the overwhelming help that the ambulance service provided to Robin and I on the night he passed away.
“We collected for TASC and the British Heart Foundation at the funeral instead of flowers and, in addition, colleagues at the Royal Academy of Arts set up a fund just for the ambulance charity in Robin’s memory through Just Giving.”
Robin was Associate Design Director at W12 Studios in London.
Anyone wishing to donate to the fund on Just Giving can visit https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/robin-allum-cornforth
Further information about TASC is available by visiting www.theasc.org.uk or by calling 0800 1032999. The charity also has a separate fundraising page https://www.justgiving.com/asbf