NewsMorocco Appeal06 February 2012
Some intrepid members of the committee will be driving from the UK down to Taghazout laden with surfboards, wetsuits, instruments and art materials to donate to the surf club/youth centre run by Abdellah, Club Royal de Surf Solidaire. Can you help us by donating any equipment to take down?
Club Royal de Surf Solidaire is based on Banana Beach, near one of the Surf Maroc (the company Paul worked for) sites. Run by Abdellah, the club is a gathering place for local kids who in exchange for beach cleaning, get to learn to surf and take part in other activities. Most of the kids come from very poor families, and Abdellah also feeds and looks after them - it is a place of sanctuary for local children.
This project represents many of Paul’s values, as well as his interest in surfing. The club encourages people to fulfil potential alongside overcoming possible barriers such as background and poverty.
Please get in touch if you have anything you think we could take down to the project, or if you want to donate to the Paulo Memorial Fund please email us on contact@paulomemorial.org.uk
Pozfest 201206 February 2012 To all our dearest Pozfest friends. We are sorry to announce that Pozfest will not be happening this year.
Love to all our loyal supporters. Watch this space for more developments. We very much look forward to seeing you all again in 2013!
Memorial bench restoration appeal20 January 2012
We have now met with the bench's creator, Joe Delfont, and come up with a plan to restore the bench. The only way to do this is to replace the three uprights entirely (but not quite as tall as before). The middle one will be made wider so the plaque can be recessed into it. This project will cost around £400, can you help us reach this and restore the memorial to its former glory? If you can help, you can send a donation to the fund stating it is for the bench repair project. We aim to do the repairs in late March/early April - watch this space and thanks for everyones' support and help.
Sad news about the memorial bench at Porthcothan03 January 2012
Countless numbers of people have been to sit on the bench, admire the craftsmanship and the wonderful view from it. His family and friends enjoyed the uniqueness of the bench, which reflected Paul's own unique character, charm and infectious spirit which made such an impression on so many people. A line from a poem that was written for Paul by Allan Sutton was due to be hand-carved on the seat “ And all who were touched feel the beat still resounding, still rounding the earth, a perpetual wave...”
Reactions from Paul's friends and family sum up the effect this senseless act has had on the wide range of people who knew and loved Paul and enjoyed the bench as a way to honour his memory. "So sad to hear this -I don't understand how anyone could have so little understanding in what effect this could have on Paul's loved ones - hopefully one day this person will feel some remorse xx" - Fiona ''Premeditated and senseless, what could they possibly gain from that. Bewildered and saddened." - Peter
''absolutely staggering. There are some awful people around. We are so sorry to hear this. will be thinking of u all as always.'' - Dave and Di Why someone decided to do this is beyond our understanding, if they wanted to hurt and offend a lot of people, they have succeeded. Peter Brewer
Paulo's Memorial Fund are sending 10 children to school for Christmas this year14 December 2011
The fund has donated £210 to Save the Children, which is the equivalent of 10 school places for kids who would not usually be able to access education - often their parents cannot even put food on the table, so sending their child to school seems impossible. Find out more at Save the Children Watch this space for more donation news on a project we will be supporting which helps refugees in Swansea, and updates on how the fund intends to work with Abdellah's - helping kids living in poverty in Morocco.
Funds find a good home - in Morocco04 December 2011
Paulo’s Memorial Fund is donating £5,000 towards buying equipment for the Club Royal de Surf Solidaire in Morocco! THERE IS NOW A CHANGE OF PLAN. The purchase of a mini bus has proved too complex and too expensive. In consultation with the club the greatest help would be to purchase a range of equipment for the children and young people in the club - surf boards ( a mixture of foamies, swell boards and sturdy boards), wetsuits (a range of sizes from small to large) stationary fror schooling, art materials and musical instruments. The plan is to gather the equipment over here and then take it in a van or trailer to the Club Royale, spend a couple of days with the kids and then travel back to the UK. We think the return trip will take about a week and we plan to start on March 31st 2012.
Club Royal de Surf Solidaire is based on Banana Beach, near one of the Surf Maroc (the company Paul worked for) sites. Run by Abdellah, the club is a gathering place for local kids who in exchange for beach cleaning, get to learn to su This project represents many of Paul’s values, as well as his interest in surfing. The club encourages people to fulfil potential alongside overcoming possible barriers such as background and poverty.
Paul was going to start volunteering with Abdellah at the club on his days off - to able to continue to support the project with funds raised in his name is both relevant an Surf Maroc have worked with the club for a few years, and support them with sponsorship. Their help in Morocco will be invaluable and allow us to get regular feedback on the project and make sure all is going smoothly. You can find more information about the money PMF has raised on the donations page.
Shanty performance raises the roof.16 October 2011
On Sunday 16th October The Shanty Theatre Company, run by Paul's good friend Harry Long and Tim Bell, put on a special local performance their fantastic new show - The Mysterious and Fantastical Wartime Tale of the Salty Socks of Dunkirk. A night of wonderful entertainment ensued - the school hall was packed to the rafters with faces familiar and new, all kept entertained by the fantastic cast and their inventive use of props and accents! Not only was the play superb, but it also raised just over £1,500 for Paulo's Memorial Fund! Ticket sales topped £1,100 and sales from the bar and raffle raised nearly £400. As both Shanty and SDCC donated their talents, time and space for nothing, all of this can go directly to the fund. A huge thanks to Harry, Tim and the whole cast for such an amazing evening, and for the impact this will have on the fund. Thanks to South Dartmoor, especially to Lin Blackman, for hosting the evening and helping so much. And many thanks to those who donated the wonderful raffle prizes. You can find out more about the production, and about Shanty, on their website.
River Run 201128 August 2011 On 28th August 2011 a motley crew of strange and wonderful inflatables took on the rapids of the Dart - The River Run 2011 was a fantastic success and raised £220 for the Paulo Memorial Fund. Well done to Seb and Beth for getting everyone in the water! Take a look at some pictures, with more coming soon...
PMF supports 'Faces of Warm Current'12 July 2011
The Paulo Exhibition at Pozfest 201108 July 2011 This year’s Pozfest played host to the first ever Paulo art exhibition, an amazing tribute to an amazing man. Masterminded by James Marren and housed in the sumptuous Chai Sharona, the exhibition was true testament to the impact Paul had on so many people.
So far the exhibition has raised close to £500 for the fund, which will have an amazing impact on the projects we are supporting (watch this space for more info soon!)
If you still need to pay for a piece you bought over the weekend, you can do so by visiting The Paulo Memorial Fund website.
Pozfest 201130 June 2011
So, who would it have thought it would be possible to recreate the magic of Pozfest 2010?! Well.... Pozfest 2011 was on a whole new level and true testiment to the amazing things that can happen when you stick 500 brilliant people in a field together. The spirit of Paulo was everywhere you looked, whether it was raving with the box collective and their shiny bright soundwaves; kicking back with a chai in the early hours listening to the Prince tribute man play piano while standing on his head; tucking into delicous isle of wight produce expertly bbq-ed by the crew that never seemed to stop; giving your ears a treat with the amazing collection of artists who wowed us in the main tent; or making a human pryamid in the sunshine... the list could go on and on! Truly well done to everyone, whether you worked, played, or simply supported this amazing event by having all the fun possible. Watch this space for a proper update and many photos coming soon (including a piece on the art exhibition that blew everyone away and raised a phenomenal amount for the fund). So I can represent the weekend in all its glory, please send the pick of your best (and worst?!) pictures to events@paulomemorial.org.uk. And dont forget to check out the Pozfest Facebook page. Massive love to you all xxx
Paulo's bench in place01 April 2011 On Thursday 31 March Paulo's finished bench was placed overlooking Porthcothan Bay
The beautiful bench was put in place by Peter, Joe Delfont, Milo Webb, Will Smith and Nick Turner.
The bench looks amazing thanks to superb craftsmanship by Joe Delfont (pictured with Peter above), the colour of the wood will change as the bench weathers.
Joe will carve the verse from the '4pb' poem onto the bench in the near future, and the inscription on slate is already there for all to see. You can read the poem, and see pictures of the bench in progress on the original Paulo's bench page
Fund Raising14 March 2011 The Student Council of South Dartmoor Community College raise money for different causes from their mufti days. One mufti day just before February half term was dedicated to the Paulo Memorial Fund, about £500 was raised and the Student Council increased that to £1000 from their mufti day funds. We received the cheque on March 14th. Thank you South Dartmoor. Brrr... on New Year's Eve, as well as being a brilliant event, raised £1099 for the fund. Well done the organisers! Affinity Search, the company Paul worked for before he went to Morocco, have a named Charity on their eChristmas cards. Christmas 2010 the chosen charity was the Paulo Memorial Fund and £330 was raised. Thank you to Jon Salt of Affinity Search. They also designed a very eyecatching logo for the Fund which they put on the Christmas Cards and have now given to us to use. You can see it on the home page. Paul's snowboard was sold just prior to Christmas and the £150.00 received was paid into the Memorial Fund.
Paulo's bench in progress26 February 2011 Joe Delfont is making an oak bench to be placed overlooking Porthcothan beach where Paulo and the Brewers spent many happy holidays. The project is well underway, and looking great so far....
The bench will be placed on the cliff (pictured below) at the end of March.
The 3rd stanza of 4pb will be carved on the seat:
The second Paulo Memorial Association Committee meeting06 February 2011 On the 6th February 2011, the Paulo Memorial Association Committee had its second meeting. The Committee has come together to help the living memorial to Paul become a fitting tribute to the wonderful young man that we all knew and loved. This will be by supporting projects, causes and charities that reflect Paul’s selfless attitude, his values, passions, tireless energy and generosity. There are thirteen of us, all working collectively to help keep the fund moving in the right directions and within the group there are a number of specific roles, which are in turn supported by input from everyone. The Committee is made up of....
Peter Brewer – Chair Two more people have joined the committee since that meeting - Hannah Goodman & Chloe O'Brien The committee is not the be-all and end-all of the fund, the fund is a collective project that relies on input from all of Paul’s friends and family. Please send in any suggestions for fundraising ideas, charities to support, events, and anything else... The full minutes from the meeting will be uploaded very soon, in the meantime here is a round-up of what we discussed for your reading pleasure. · Website – Ruth Baker will work on updating the website regularly, and is looking into possible new layout ideas and email addresses. · Future fundraising ideas – mufti days, abseils, marathons, river runs and many more exciting events, including this year’s Pozfest! · Charities to support – Overall it looks like we will be supporting one charity or project a year, this way we can make sure that the money raised is going to a wide variety of causes that reflect Paul and his spirit. This year’s cause is still being decided, so watch this space. · Memorials – including a tree that is being planted at South Dartmoor Community College, the re-planting of the tree Greener organised in Cornwall that was the victim of hungry cows and the bench that will be placed overlooking Porthcothan Beach and is being made by Joe Delfont. The next meeting of the group has been pencilled in for 3rd July 2011, in the meantime if you have any ideas for the fund, the website or anything else, please email millmeadow@madasafish.co.uk(general) or ruthiebaker@hotmail.co.uk(website suggestions).
New Year's Eve - Brrr...02 January 2011 Brrr was a great success, brilliantly organised and thoroughly enjoyed by all. Here are a few photos http://www.theboxcollective.co.uk/brrr/Brrr.html
River Run19 September 2010 A group of intrepid outdoor pursuiters took part in the River Run on the River Dart on Saturday, August 28th 2010. The challenge was to see how far could you get down the river in an inflatable boat! Seb Milton and Beth Webster were involved and made a collection for the Paulo Memorial Fund - £80.00 was collected. Well done. Hopefully we might have one or two photos soon.
Bench position05 September 2010
We now have a location for the memorial bench seat overlooking Porthcothan Bay. The bench seat is to be made by Joe Delfont.
Birthday gather photos05 September 2010 A small selection of photos from Paul's birthday gather at Porthcothan are now in the gallery.
Chicks with Sticks02 September 2010 Chicks with Sticks gave the Paulo award to Lisa Jones at their recent event in Newquay - she had been on the surf sistas week and showed a great deal of enthusiasm at the man auction! She won a girls surf and pilates holiday to France and was super stoked.
Paul's birthday06 August 2010 A superb gathering at Porthcothan in honour of Paul's birthday - toasting, surfing, singing, tree planting, wreath floating... well done and thankyou to all who attended or sent their thoughts/love.
Stickers & badges24 July 2010 There are still PB surfboard stickers (stick them anywhere and everywhere!) and badges available, as well as some limited edition POZFEST badges.... They are available from the Brewers for a suggested donation of £1 each.
POZFEST20 July 2010
Pozfest proved to be an amazing event organised by some pretty amazing people. It ran from Friday July 16th to Sunday July 18th. A selection of photographs are available to view in the gallery.
Pozfest 2010
On the 16th July at The Garlic Farm on the Isle of Wight, over 500 people came together to pay tribute to Paulo at the Festival created in his name. Pozfest, a small, boutique music festival started on Friday evening with a P themed fancy dress party. Pencils, Priests, Peas, Pat Sharps, Pimps, Prom Queens, Pavlovas, to name but a few, filled the main field. The Box Collective tent kept people dancing all weekend long with their dance tunes, as well as hosting some great acoustic acts and a cinema screening of ‘Big Fonts Large Spacing' from the 2D Cinema. Late into the night the more adventurous Pozfesters could be found in the enchanted forest where the Sssh…ed hosted their secret disco. An array of lasers, strobes and U.V paints turned the woodland into a mini rave with a giant multi coloured paddling pool bringing people together in the centre. The music on the main stage opened with local singer songwriter Harry Wavell, and thanks to the exceptional organization from Will and Taz the music flowed seamlessly all weekend. Other acts at the festival included The Sweetspots, Barbosa, Scru love, Hedluv + Passman, James Marren, October, Lazy Talk, Redderstare and many more. Saturday brought yet more heat and sunshine and a feeling that people had really started to settle into the friendly and magical Pozfest vibe. All day long Pozfesters could be seen honing their hula hoping skills, taking part in a civilised game of tennis, gathering round the straw P in the main field whilst supping a local ale or chilling in the shade of the wishing den. The idyllic Saturday afternoon slowly transformed into the classy cocktail party as the fancy dress was replaced by stylish black tie and elegant dresses. This sophisticated mood held for the evening and ended with some impromptu music round the fire and acoustic karaoke fuelled with spicy brandy chai hosted by Jess, Emily, Emily and Ruth at the Chai Sharona tent. Saturday night rolled into Sunday and a sprightly few could be seen stretching and teasing with Pip and Jules, as the morning’s yoga class got under way. Other less energetic folk enjoyed a well-deserved fry-up and Bloody Mary from the bar. The last of the festival fun was squeezed out of the afternoon and in the glorious sunshine on Sunday afternoon, the Kooks rocked out the main tent as the festival came to a perfect close.
All proceeds from the festival have gone to Paulo’s Memorial Fund and a total sum of £1428.00 was raised from the event.
The Big Friday12 July 2010 The Big Friday Surf Travel Company stage surf film nights in London. Entry is free but a collection is made for a particular charity. Big Friday has decided that their chosen charity this year will be the Paulo Memorial Fund. The first film night was on May 12th and £210.00 was collected. Another two have been held and a further £224.00 has gone into the Memorial Fund.
Other Memorials12 July 2010 Please take a look at our Other Memorials page to see a list of all the other things put in place in memory of Paul.
Festival PSB12 July 2010 A surf, environment (beach cleaning) and music festival was held in Paul's name as a tribute to him in Taghazout. This was set up by Abdellah El Ghazai, a good of Surf Maroc. Abdellah is a great guy who is responsible for cleaning the beaches around Villa Mandela with the teams of youngsters he gathers from nearby villages. He has set up a very basic surf and sports club, 'Le Club Royale Solidaire de Surf', which he runs voluntarily and gives youngsters from poor families the chance to surf and learn a variety of sports like; tennis, football, martial arts etc. In return for the competitions and sports instruction they receive, he organises desperately needed beach cleaning days, where teams of kids clean up the beach. Paul showed an interest in what he did and met him a few times. They got to know each other towards the end of January and Paul wanted to spend his days off helping Abdellah with the activities he organised for the kids. Paul asked John (friend from America) to bring boards and wetsuits from America for the club, which they now use. Abdellah has never forgotton Paul's kind and warm hearted intentions and put this festival on in Paul's name. The festival was a great success with a surf competition, music and dancing, some theatre and of course beach cleaning!
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Paulo's Memorial Fund
In memory of Paul Simon Brewer
The Paulo Memorial Fund are organising a trip to Morocco at the end of March and we need your help! 
Paulo was going to start volunteering with Abdellah at the club on his days off - to able to continue to support the project with funds raised in his name is both relevant and poignant.
On March 31st 2011 a handbuilt bench in memory of Paulo was placed overlooking Porthcothan beach. This beautiful memorial, enjoyed by many, was a fitting tribute to Paul's character and spirit. Late December 2011 someone inexplicably vandalised the bench, sawing off the three uprights. You can find out more in the
On March 31st 2011, five of us installed Joe Delfont's beautifully designed and handcrafted bench, made from green oak and chestnut, on private land overlooking Porthcothan Bay as a memorial to our son, Paul Simon Brewer. Paul was tragically killed in a road accident in March 2010 whilst in Morocco. Porthcothan Bay was where Paul spent every summer as a child and where he learnt to surf, a sport in which he became accomplished and had a passion for up until his untimely death. The bench is on private land which has a public right of way over it, namely the coastal path. 
On December the 27th or 28th 2011 someone who obviously thinks they are above the law, has no care or understanding of Paul's family and friends, inexplicably and arrogantly sawed off the three uprights from the bench, the centre one held the memorial plaque, which was cut from the wood and left under the bench, the sawn off wood was nowhere to be seen. 
''I really hope something can be done to repair the beautiful bench. I was seriously impressed with the craftsmanship and wow what a view! We must not let an idiotic vandal spoil our enjoyment of it. Keep me updated and I hope that nothing like that ever happens again.'' - Steve.jpg)
Paulo's Memorial fund is helping 10 children living in poverty get an education. 
'The Mysterious and Fantastical Wartime Tale of the Salty Socks of Dunkirk' raises the roof of South Dartmoor, and a staggering £1,514.00 for the Fund.
The Faces of Warm Current
James invited people to contribute a piece inspired by Paul, to be auctioned off in aid of the Paulo Memorial Fund. The response was amazing, seeing contributions from a huge range of his friends and family. The exhibition gave people a chance to be creative and to express their thoughts and feelings about Paulo and the pieces not only demonstrated how Paul’s spirit affected people from all walks of life, but also gave people a chance to reflect on Paul during the overwhelming weekend. The exhibition was a place of sanctuary, and everyone enjoyed taking in the huge diversity of work – it was a very emotional place to be, but always in a positive way.
The contributing artists were – John Koenig, Hugh Johnson, Ceri Baker, Peter Brewer, Claire McKimm, Dan McKimm, Laurence Lewis, Francesca Henderson, Rob Clements, James Marren and Sam Scadgell. Thank you to you all, and of course huge thanks to James for coming up with the idea and for putting it together so beautifully.
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