We are very sorry to announce that George Guest and his wife, Shirley, for many, many years a mainstay of St Gregory’s Foundation, have both died earlier this month. Before she died, his wife, Shirley, suggested that those who would like to remember George give a donation to the Foundation in his memory.
George had a long-standing association with St Gregory’s, first as Chairman and then as Treasurer. But he is chiefly remembered with Shirley for their extraordinary gifts as fundraisers which they continued long after he retired from the Board right up to their death. George organised countless trips and outings and together they hosted regular coffee mornings, which became legendary for the stupendous sums they brought in. In 2015 George was awarded an OBE for services to charity in West London.
The funds raised by George and Shirley supported Mkurnali, our refuge for homeless teenagers in Tbilisi. They not only maintained legal services for teenagers who were often detained by the police on flimsy pretexts, but also enabled essential repairs to the house. George ran several trips to Georgia where he and his fellow-travellers always received a warm welcome from our partners, Father George and Nino and, of course, the young people in their care.
We have sent heartfelt condolences to George and Shirley’s children. They will be much missed.
