It is with tremendous sadness that we share news of the passing of Neal Crowley, local disability campaigner and friend of Sycamore Trust U.K.
Neal was born in 1982 and lived in Dagenham his entire life. He attended Trinity School and is fondly remembered as a popular and enthusiastic student who loved learning and sport. As a person with cerebral palsy, Neal understood the challenges faced by people with a disability and devoted his life to raising awareness of disability issues, locally and beyond.
He was a volunteer with Trinity School, Barking and Dagenham Access Group and Ab Phab youth club and coached athletes who represented Barking and Dagenham at the Special Olympics in Sheffield. He was elected chair of the organising committee for Barking and Dagenham’s ‘International Day of People with a Disability’ in 2014. The committee is made up of Barking and Dagenham residents and local groups who work with people with a disability and Neal was the vision and driving force behind successive annual events celebrating the contribution that people with a disability make to life in the borough. He also raised thousands of pounds to provide financial support for the events by completing sponsored bike rides.
Sycamore Trust U.K. is proud of its involvement in these events over the years and grateful to Neal for the leadership and love he put in to organising them. Neal refused to let his disability dictate what he could achieve, his outlook was always positive, and his smile and sense of humour were infectious. He will be fondly remembered and greatly missed. Our thoughts and sympathies go to his mum Sue and Neal’s wider family and friends.
Neal Crowley 1982 - 2021