It is with great sadness that Eddie, a long standing trustee with TEECH lost his struggle will ill health last Tuesday aged just 67

For those who have been actively involved with the charity over the years I think you will all agree that this man will leave a great hole in our hearts

Eddie’s Funeral is Thursday 15th Mar at Pulham St Mary 12pm then afterwards at The Dove Alburgh IP20 0EP.

It has been specified that family flowers only please and any donations will be to TEECH. Our chairman Rob will be attending (https://mydonate.bt.com/charities/teech)

One of the founder member of TEECH Graham Fayers has written the following in tribute to Eddie. This article will be added to the TEECH website this week and if you would like to send me your own tributes these will be further added to the site. Many thanks

Eddie had been going to Romania since the early ‘90s when he joined a group of like-minded volunteers taking aid out to the country newly freed from years of crippling communist dictatorship. In 1992 he and joined Suffolk Romanian Connections run by a husband and wife team, Alan and Rosabelle Peck. They supported a group of four villages in the North West corner of the country. These villages were extremely poor and so far off the beaten track that two of them could only be accessed across fields making delivery of aid very challenging.

There were about six in the group with Eddie being the one who had the knack of being able to source the items needed and he came up with some amazing stuff over the years including heavy duty items such as Land Rovers, a tractor, dumper truck, ambulance, and a 12 blade revolving plough which he repaired and repainted in his workshop. All these items went on the lorry, easy to load in the UK when you have a loading bay but a test of ingenuity getting them off again in the middle of a field at the other end. He also acquired some more unusual items such as firemen’s uniforms and white wellies from the chicken factory which the male villagers could be seen wearing with pride.

Eddie struck up a lasting friendship with the local village doctor and her husband the vet which meant he could carry on supporting the four villages long after Suffolk Romanian Connections finished, taking the aid out courtesy of TEECH. Eddie had the unwavering support of his partner Betty who with the help of the local WI would spend long hours neatly packing the items that Eddie had sourced.

In recent years Eddie continued his work for the poor of Romania as a trustee and active participant with TEECH. Those who went with TEECH to Targu Frumos in 2007 witnessed first hand the affection and gratitude of the villagers who have known Eddie since the dark days following the collapse of the Ceausescu regime. He will be missed in the UK and in Romania as a character with a heart of gold.

UPDATE

"The send off for Eddie on the 15th March was held in glorious sunshine for a gloriously generous man. Chairman Rob and Chris Cook attended the service along with many past TEECH volunteers. Over sixty people were present at the church and the order of service can be viewed below. TEECH would like to thank Eddie's family for donating any contributions made to TEECH"