Mai Kendrew, Maria Sadlek, Ellie Freer and Eliza Adam are hosting several events this summer as part of Humberside Police’s Lifestyle Project
The girls who make up The Last Mehh team, who are raising funds for East Yorkshire charity Aim Higher this summer(Image: Submitted)
A much-loved grandad is the inspiration for four schoolgirls’ fundraising efforts this summer. Mai Kendrew, 14, and her friends Maria Sadlek, 15, Ellie Freer, 13, and Eliza Adam, 14, plan to host a variety of events in memory of her grandfather Michael Logan, who died 10 years ago. Mai and her friends decided to raise money and awareness for charities supporting victims of domestic violence. They are especially focussing on violence against those with neurodiversity and against men, which the girls say has a huge stigma attached to it.
Mai said: “This year is 10 years since my grandad passed. We wanted to commemorate that. We chose to raise funds for Aim Higher. We looked into the stats and it’s more likely for a neurodiverse person to go through domestic violence. We wanted to highlight Aim Higher so more people can reach out to them. It’s quite a small charity and people might find it easier to reach out to them, it’s a little bit more personal.”
Family man Michael Logan died in 2016. His 2017 inquest ruled Mr Logan’s death was an accident but could not say exactly what had happened to him. He was found dead on his living room floor in Orchard Park on August 20, 2016.
Mai’s mum says it is “mind blowing” watching her daughter and her friends continue to raise money year after year. Her dad would have been proud of his granddaughter, who was the only one of his seven grandchildren he got to meet. “He was very much a family person,” she said. “He doted on Mai and loved being around her. He was excited to be a grandfather, supported Newcastle and loved football and rugby.
“He was taken too soon and there was no support to reach out and ask for help. He absolutely loved his kids and his grandkids particularly. It’s a shame now because he’s now got seven grandkids and he only managed to meet the one of them – Mai. They’ve done Lifestyle for the past few years and made a massive difference, but to do it for something that was so close to heart – it blows my mind what young people can do.”
One of Mai’s treasured memories of her grandad is him running out into the middle of the road to rescue her umbrella when she was three years old. The girls have arranged three fundraising events over the summer as part of the Lifestyle Project, which has been running for 37 years. The Humberside Police initiative encourages young people to spend their summer giving back to the community.
Part of the girls’ ambition is to create a campaign specifically designed for men, so they can raise the alarm if they are suffering from violence or abuse. They hope to create an “Ask for Andy” campaign, similar to the “Ask for Angela” campaign that is available to women. She said: “We have also been to Humberside Police to ask them for more information about male domestic violence, that is our main focus and the stigma around that is so much higher and it shouldn’t be.”
Mai, Ellie, Eliza and Maria’s team name for their fundraising campaign is ‘Heard The Last Mehh’ and they are hosting a wealth of events over the summer holidays to raise money for Aim Higher. The Hull-based charity supports children, young people, and families dealing with autism, neurodiversity, and mental health barriers.
On Thursday, August 20, there will be a memory walk and picnic at Humber Bridge Country Park, which commemorates 10 years since Michael’s death. The girls have also arranged a community fun day on Saturday, September 5.
More information on the girls’ events, and instructions on how to sign up, can be found on their Facebook page: facebook.com/groups/2074693919787858/ and their fundraising page can be found at: justgiving.com/page/heardthelastmehh
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