On 2nd Aug 2018 my friend and work colleague, Defrim (lovingly known as Duffi) had a tragic accident and his life changed forever.

Whilst on holiday with his wife, Beata and 3 year old son, Domenik ,Duffi had an accident whilst having fun at the seaside with his family. He was diving into the water with his brother and nephew off a small man made pier in Ksamil, Albania. Tragically, Duffi miscalculated a dive which has resulted in him breaking his neck.

The few hours and days after his tragic dive have been awful for everyone - Duffi and his friends and family. Upon being pulled from the water Duffi’s body shut down and he was taken swiftly to hospital. The x rays showed that he had broken his neck and he was immediately operated on in Albania. In the meantime his family rallied to try and bring him back to his home in the UK and the only way to do so was to charter a private jet at a cost of £25 000. On top of the operation costs (£17000) this means that his friends and family forked out the best part of £42k to bring Duffi back in the UK.

I was devastated by the news of what happened to my friend Duffi. We have worked together for 12 years now and I have forged a strong bond with him. I recall with great fondness working together with him on many jobs in London over the years. He was a fearless and productive worker always putting in the necessary graft to get a job done. It is his loyalty and friendship that I intend to honour and as such I have decided to raise some money to help him and his family through these difficult times. His wife Beata not only has to look after their 3 year old son and 21 year old daughter but will also have to pay the mortgage and bills as well as worrying about Duffi and his welfare. They all face a difficult future and I am determined to do all I can to help them.

I have never been able to swim and so in Duffi’s name I am determined to take on a challenge to raise some money for him. I am going to take on the challenge of a sponsored swim with my and Duffi’s friend, Ben Mulhern. We are going to learn to swim and then complete 25 lengths at Clissold Park leisure centre. Its a huge and daunting challenge for me but nothing like the challenge my friend Duffi and his family face over the coming years. All money raised will go straight to Duffi and his family. We are going to take the challenge on 26th Oct 2018 .

I really appreciate your sponsorship and support

Richie and Ben