A steam engine in Plymouth has been restored in memory of my friends’ 11 year old son Oliver Brown, who died of a rare form of cancer, and will raise money for the hospice where he died.
Oliver Brown, of Plymstock, passed away on 2nd November 2019 at Children’s Hospice South West’s Little Harbour in St Austell. If you’ve followed me for a while, you’ll know that Oliver is the son of two of my best friends. You can read the full tribute to him here.
He had a rare form of blood cancer called Myelodysplastic Syndrome, which affected only four in one million children worldwide, and received treatment for it for 3 years.
Locomotive will be in memory of Oliver
A team of train enthusiasts and friends of Oliver’s parents Mike and Nicky have spent the last 5 years restoring a steam locomotive at Plym Valley Railway in memory of Oliver.
Next month, on what would have been Oliver’s 17th birthday, the locomotive, named affectionately Lord Oliver Brown, will steam for the first time in 17 years, and take passengers to Plymbridge and back.
And nobody is likely to miss it. The 1959 Polish ‘Tkh’ engine has been painted in a striking pink and green colour scheme – Oliver’s favourite colours.
The locomotive is owned by Marc Bellin and its new livery was designed by his Network Rail colleague Richard Gibson, a friend of the Brown family and one of the men working on the restoration project. It incorporates the Children’s Hospice South West logo as well as suggestions from Oliver’s now 14 year old brother Benjamin.
You’re invited to take a journey on Lord Oliver Brown
Its inaugural journey will see Oliver’s friends and family board the train for the trip up the Plym Valley Railway line. There will then be 5 journeys throughout the day where members of the public can buy tickets. Every penny will be donated to Children’s Hospice South West. It will then run as part of Plym Valley’s timetable in the future.
Mike Brown said: “This train can only make you smile. It’s brought so many people together, made new friendships and memories, which is amazing as it’s just what Oliver did through his life – made friends and created memories for others.”
Oliver was diagnosed with Myelodysplastic Syndrome at Bristol Children’s Hospital towards the end of 2016, which he had developed as a result of a complicated genetic disorder relating to his GATA2 gene that also led to him being born deaf. He then spent the following three years facing intense invasive treatments, over 15 operations, time in isolation and two 5.5 month stints in Bristol Children’s Hospital.
In May 2019 the family was told there was nothing more doctors could do, and that he would only have weeks to live. The Browns decided to have as much fun as possible whilst he was well enough, to give him amazing experiences and to provide Benjamin with memories of his brother that would last a lifetime. Oliver lived for a further 5 months.
Oliver will continue to spread happiness
Nicky Brown added: “I am incredibly proud that our beautiful son has inspired this wonderful locomotive and will continue to spread smiles and happiness, whilst also supporting CHSW who have done so much for Oliver and us as a family since 2017.”
Sarah Stott, Head of Fundraising at CHSW’s Little Harbour Children’s Hospice, said: “We are really excited for the launch of the Lord Oliver Brown train. Having something that will not only honour Oliver’s memory but also be able to be enjoyed by other children and families while raising money for CHSW will be really special.”
Tickets for the train journeys on Sunday 9th March can be purchased here.
I’ll see you there!
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