Mum of boy, 3, who died from cancer says charity created in youngster's name being used in con

Mum of boy, 3, who died from cancer says charity created in youngster’s name being used in con

Jul 31, 2023

A mother who set up a charity in the name of her three-year-old son who recently died from cancer has said some people are posing as charity fundraisers in a bid to con vulnerable people.

Natalie Ridler set up Morgan’s Army after her son, Morgan Ridler, was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer in October 2021.

Morgan sadly passed away on 28 June 2023, only 12 days after he was transferred to palliative care at Ty Hafan Children’s Hospice.

His family said at the time that they “miss him terribly”.

Since Morgan’s death, Ms Ridler has written a post on the charity’s Facebook page urging people to make sure they donate through legitimate channels after she received reports of a man “going door-to-door” in a nearby town selling “badly-made” hoodies.

Ms Ridler said she believed some people were “capitalising” on Morgan’s death as a way to make “some fast cash”.

“I was really sad to have to write it because now I’m worried some people might second-guess my actual fundraisers,” she said.

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“The majority of our fundraisers are honourable and legitimate and are using appropriate protocols and have been in direct discussions with us, but if people just make sure that they are using the proper channels to contact the charity.”

Ms Ridler said she was “not overly surprised” at hearing the reports as many face “hard times” during the cost of living crisis.

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“I was disappointed because we’ve created such a good feeling around the charity, we feel that we’ve created a healthy community, a supportive community and actually we’ve brought communities together through Morgan’s story,” she added.

“It’s particularly raw because Morgan only passed away four weeks ago and that’s my baby boy.

“I really want his legacy to be one of love and of honesty and of helping people, and not one of people helping themselves.”

A South Wales Police spokesperson said: “We are aware of this report. While no complaint has been received by the force we have been in contact with Natalie Ridler concerning the issue.”

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