As you may have heard recently, Philip East was involved in a motorcycle accident, and was tragically killed. The suddenness of it has been a great shock to all of us.

A memorial service is to be held on the Isle of Man on Thursday 9th July 2009 in memory of him.

If you ever met my Dad, Philip, you'd know he was a fairly pragmatic person, and not that traditional either, and thought that flowers at a funeral would be a waste of money. As such, we thought it would be a good idea for people to make a contribution to a charity instead. As a family, we have decided that the Mission to Seafarers is the charity we would like the donations to go to. My Dad had many a good time in the various mission centres, could get the chance to ring home, get away from the ship and relax, and most of all, ensured he could always have a pint whenever he got to go ashore.

Any contributions you could make would be greatly appreciated, and would help the mission continue to provide such a vital service to seafarers across the globe.