Zoe Harrison is organising this fundraising appeal on behalf of Sarah Grice
https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-phil-wilson-as-he-rebuilds-his-life?member=33215659&sharetype=teams&utm_campaign=p_na+share-sheet&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook
28 November 2022. A date that Phil Wilson, his partner Sarah, and their families and friends will never forget.
At 5.25 p.m., as Phil prepared to head home at the end of another working day at Scarborough College, he suffered a sudden, life-threatening intracerebral haemorrhage. Thanks to the resourcefulness, quick-thinking and expertise of colleagues and NHS staff throughout that evening and the long night that followed, Phil survived against all the odds.
Put simply, the prognosis for Phil was ‘not good’. His chances of survival, even after emergency surgery at Hull Royal Infirmary, were slim. What the surgery gave him, in the words of his neurosurgeon, was ‘a fighting chance’. For several weeks, as Phil’s life hung in the balance in the ICU, there was no guarantee of any form of recovery; the only certainty was that it would be ‘a long road’.
Now, after nearly a year in hospital and neuro rehab, Phil needs your help as he continues his rehab journey.
For all who know him, Phil’s name has become inseparable from Scarborough College over the best part of six decades. Known and loved by hundreds of families, colleagues and friends who have experienced his teaching and coaching, been entertained by his humour, and benefited from his kindness and compassion, it’s no exaggeration to say he achieved legendary status within the school and its wider community.
From his formative years as a Lodge House student, to his ‘poacher turned gamekeeper’ decades as a teacher of Business Studies and Psychology, Phil turned his hand to a number of roles: a multi-talented and passionate sports coach, Housemaster, Form Tutor, Head of Tier and, most recently, Senior Master. He was always there for others and truly embodied the phrase ‘above and beyond’. If you needed someone to go that extra mile, often behind the wheel of a College minibus, Phil was your man.
After nearly 60 years, Phil’s entire life has been connected with Scarborough College, but Sarah had also become a valued member of the school community. An inspiring English teacher and Head of English, Housemistress and member of the school’s Senior Leadership Team she, like Phil, gave her all to the school. The events of 28 November 2022 resulted in the overnight loss of two key figures from the College community. Although it was not apparent at the time, Phil’s collapse at school marked the end of both their careers at a place they both loved and had imagined working in until retirement. In an instant, any certainty they had about their future together was gone.
The last sixteen months have been incredibly challenging for Phil and Sarah, but they have always felt encouraged and supported by the outpouring of love and support from family, friends and the wider College community. The early months of Phil’s recovery journey took him on a tour of Yorkshire hospitals: from Hull to Scarborough, then a spell in Bridlington, before he was offered an inpatient rehab place at Woodlands Neurological Rehabilitation Centre in York. Phil still remembers nothing of that time.
It was at Woodlands that the months of hard graft and incremental progress truly began, as Phil embarked on a schedule of intensive physio, occupational therapy, and speech and language therapy designed to help him regain function and some degree of independence, both physically and cognitively. As Phil began to slowly understand what had happened to him and the long-term implications of his brain injury, he also received counselling to help him process and come to terms with all the ways in which his life had changed
After nearly 9 months of intensive rehab, Phil was discharged from Woodlands on 20 October 2023. A day of much celebration but also trepidation. Being out in the world after so long was daunting for Phil. Adjusting to a life so very different to the one he remembers remains an ongoing challenge. His homecoming was daunting for Sarah too. She was at Phil’s side throughout his time in hospital and Woodlands, visiting daily and attending therapy sessions as his number 1 cheerleader, but becoming his full time carer without the safety blanket of the Woodlands team to rely on was a whole new challenge.
Phil’s months in rehab saw many little triumphs but he still needs a lot of help and support with daily living activities and accessing the wider world. His recovery thus far has already defied the odds but, despite acknowledging how far he has come, he still feels a long way from the man he was and remains focused on making further progress over the coming months.
To facilitate that progress and keep hope alive, Phil needs help to access specialist neuro rehab, expert optometry and the support of a neuropsychologist. Since leaving Woodlands, Sarah has searched to find the right people to support Phil achieve the best possible rehab outcomes, but their services come at a price. Throughout this life-changing experience, Sarah and Phil have always been mindful that, even in the darkest of times, there are always things to be grateful for, always people in worse situations, but the premature end to their careers, the subsequent loss of income, and the need to sell their home in Scarborough has left them with nothing to fall back on.
This GoFundMe campaign enables you to contribute to the following:
£100 = a counselling session with a consultant clinical neuropsychologist.
£125 = a 1:1 session of specialist neuro physio at MOTIONRehab in Hull.
£125 = an assessment and therapy session with a private optometrist.
£800 = to purchase a Rollz Motion Performance 2 in 1 all-terrain rollator and wheelchair.
Any amount you can give, however small, will make a difference. A donation of £10 will help cover weekly travel expenses; £30 will go a long way towards a physio session; £50 will support ongoing specialist optometry; £100 will cover the cost of an invaluable counselling session as Phil adjusts to life post-injury.
As a former schoolmate, colleague, parent of a pupil who Phil taught and mentored, and a friend for over 40 years, I am asking you to join with me to help PJ, and Sarah, as they face the challenges life has thrown at them.
Please donate what you can and share their story. The whole idea of crowdfunding has not sat easily with either Phil or Sarah, and they have taken some persuading. I have reassured them that ever since 28 November 2022 many of you have asked: what can I do to help and when? Here is your answer: support this campaign; the time is now.
Thank you for reading. Let’s do all we can to make sure Phil, PJ, Mr Wilson, PJW, Philippe feels the love as he continues on his rehab journey.
Zoë Harrison
On behalf of Phil and Sarah
He spent a year travelling with Ben and working at the Stephen Joseph Theatre, and then went to Cambridge University to study English. He then trained as an actor at RADA, and spent eight years performing in theatres around the country, including the Royal Shakespeare Company and the National Theatre. In 2011 he started directing, working first as an assistant on Much Ado About Nothing with David Tennant and Catherine Tate. He went on to be nominated for Best Newcomer by the London Evening Standard, and became Associate Director of the Donmar Warehouse in 2014, where he worked with actors including Jonathan Bailey, Tom Hiddleston and Mark Gatiss. In 2016 he was appointed Artistic Director of Sheffield Theatres, running the Crucible, Lyceum and Playhouse, where recent productions have included Life of Pi, Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, The Wizard of Oz and Miss Saigon. Sheffield was awarded UK Theatre of the Year by The Stage in 2017 and 2020, and Rob named Best Director at the UK Theatre Awards. Next year he will have two shows running in London’s West End, Operation Mincemeat and the Olivier Award-winning Standing at the Sky’s Edge.
Ben Taylor is an internationally-acclaimed TV and film director.He lives in London with his wife and two young sons and is delighted to be invited back to his old school. The son of former Lisvane headmaster Ian Taylor, Ben’s Scarborough College career took him from Reception (1982) all the way through to Sixth Form where he served as a Prefect in his final year (1995). Following a travel & adventure-filled gap year with Rob, Ben began a degree in Film & TV Studies at Staffordshire University, graduating in 1999 with a First. After moving to London, he worked his way up from runner to director in the world of music videos, producing work for the likes of Girls Aloud & McFly. Ben caught his break in TV comedy with the BAFTA-nominated sketch show ‘Cardinal Burns’ and set up and directed all episodes of Series 1-3 of BAFTA-winning sitcom ‘Catastrophe’ – both for Channel 4. More recently he was Director and Executive Producer of the Netflix global hit ‘Sex Education’ Series 1-3, earning him an International Emmy. This year he has directed the 18th century Disney adventure series ‘Renegade Nell’, written by Sally Wainwright. Ben has just completed filming on his debut feature film, JOY, written by Jack Thorne, starring Bill Nighy, James Norton and Thomas in Mackenzie.
