JOHN KING BRAIN TUMOUR FOUNDATION
I am very fortunate to have been able to call John King a friend.
John King was a much-loved chef with an international reputation and husband to the incredibly talented and inspirational Laura King MBE.
John was described by The Caterer Magazine as “one of the hospitality industry’s most highly respected chefs”, John’s 40 years in the kitchen included spells at The Dorchester, The Connaught, The Ritz Club, Le Caprice, Les Ambassadeurs, Crockfords and the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Manila.
As well as cooking, John was an inspirational teacher helping bring on the next generation of chefs as a part-time lecturer at Westminster College, where his own career started.
In 2015, John was diagnosed with a glioblastoma brain tumour, a condition from which he sadly passed away on 22 November 2016 after an incredibly brave and dignified fight against his illness.
Everyone loved John. Everywhere he and Laura went, people knew him.
CREATING THE JOHN KING BRAIN TUMOUR FOUNDATION
During John’s treatment, Laura, who runs the wonderful King’s Fine Food company with the support of her daughter Holly, discovered the gardens for neurological patients outside the McKissock Ward at Atkinson Morley Wing, part of St. George’s Hospital Trust, Tooting, London.
The roof garden was a hidden oasis on the second floor of the Atkinson Morley Wing, commissioned by the famous brain surgeon, Henry Marsh CBE, to aid patient recovery. However, following his retirement in 2015, the gardens needed some TLC.
John and Laura adopted the garden and brought it back to life with a team of friends including RHS Gold Medal winning garden designer Tony Woods. So successful was the rebuild of the garden that John and Laura launched a charity to raise funds for ongoing improvements and maintenance of the garden.
www.johnkingbraintumourfoundation.co.uk
From money raised after John’s funeral the garden is being constantly upgraded and maintained as a wonderful haven for patients. The foundation received Registered Charity status on 18th March 2017.
Fast forward to 2021 and the charity has raised £150,000 for a state-of-the-art neurological microscope, the Zeiss Microscope, which enables surgeons to remove more of a brain tumour and potentially prolong a patient’s life.
Additional fundraising activities include a Virtual ‘Gala in Your Parlour’ Dinner in 2020 hosted by chef and TV presenter Brian Turner CBE, Hip Hip Soiree, a Charity Golf Day at Woburn in August 2022 and Skydiving/Wing Walking, plus many others! These and other events have helped raise in excess of £500,000. What an effort!
Ultimately, it is Laura’s passion, drive and energy that ensures that the John King Brain Tumour Foundation continues to raise money for this vitally important cause – research into this fatal cancer receives only 0.5% of all government cancer research funding. Sadly, many more people are being diagnosed with malignant brain tumours, and brain tumours kill more under 40’s than any other cancer.
It is with great honour that Wild Boar Wine Events is proud to support the John King Brain Tumour Foundation. As well as hosting charitable events during 2022 in John’s name, we will also be contributing a share of our revenue to the charity, our little way of showing support and remembering a fantastic gentleman, John King.
Thank you to all our customers that make this possible.
David Alexander
Founder, Wild Boar Wine Events