Fundraiser for memorial plaque to Dunstable council gardener who refused to let brain tumour hold him back

A woman from Toddington will run a half marathon next month, and is raising money for a plaque in memory of her family friend and Dunstable council gardener.

Joely Morris, 21, is running a half marathon in Battersea Park on January 6 in the hopes of getting enough donations to add a memorial plaque to Dunstable’s Priory Gardens for her late family friend, Graham Reynolds.

Graham was just 42 years old when he had a seizure earlier this year and died. As he was child, he had a tumour removed from his brain which left him paralysed on one side of his body. But Joely said that this was never something that held him back: “He's always been very positive. He's carried on working. He's never stopped with that. Last year, we found out that his brain tumour had come back, but it was more aggressive and it couldn't be treated.”

Graham, who Joely described as having a “heart of gold”, worked as a gardener for Dunstable Town Council for over 20 years. Joely explained: “He has a special place dedicated to him in Priory Gardens and I am raising funds for a plaque on Graham's favourite bench there. This was where Graham worked and relaxed most days, a special place to him and somewhere that we would like to visit and reflect on the time we had together.”

A total of £400 is needed to get a plaque installed in the gardens, and only £50 is left of the goal. Any extra funds will go to charity. You can donate to the fundraiser here.

John Crawley, head of grounds and environmental services for Dunstable Town Council said: “Graham was a much loved and respected member of Dunstable Town Council’s grounds team. We were all devastated when he passed away suddenly earlier in the year. Graham helped look after the prestigious Green Flag Priory Gardens in Dunstable and it is a great idea to place a plaque on one of the benches near the rose bed planted in his memory earlier in the year.”