Eva Seeley, the widow of motorcycle manufacturer and British sidecar road race champion Colin Seeley, is seeking final donations before winding up the Joan Seeley Pain Relief Memorial Trust.
Almost £500,000 has been raised by the charity created by Colin Seeley in memory of his first wife Joan, who died of bone cancer in 1979. When they met, Joan worked as a secretary at the AJS-Matchless factory in London.
All money donated has gone directly to buy equipment and support for numerous hospices and hospitals, including the Isle of Man Hospice. The bulk of the donations have been spent on pain relief specialist equipment. Not a penny has been spent on any form of expense.
Colin Seeley, who died in January 2020 aged 84, was tireless and selfless in his dedication to the charity. He had a strong social conscience and was reduced to tears on visiting a children’s ward and seeing some of the youngsters on life support.
Sidecar champion in 1962 and 1963, he made Seeley race and road bikes and frame kits from 1966 to 1980 using 14 different engine marques. He rendered the motorcycle world great service by spending six years writing two heavyweight books: Colin Seeley Racer (Redline 2006) and Colin Seeley … and the rest (Redline 2008). Both contain great detail on the post-war race and road scene.
He was also a president of the TT Riders Association, was team manager for Bernie Ecclestone’s F1 Brabham team in the 1970s, ran the Duckhams Rotary Norton race team and was instrumental in giving the British Superbike series a more professional image.
“Colin was dedicated to the charity, so it has not been an easy decision to close the trust later this year,” said Eva. “I have been running it for nearly four years, but it’s sadly time to call it a day.”
Find out how to donate at the Joan Seeley Memorial Trust website – www.joanseeleytrust.co.uk.