Lucy Dickenson

Dickenson was born on 3 June 1980 in Barry, South Wales.{{cite news|last=Hutt|first=Jane|title=Lucy Dickenson obituary|url=https://www.theguardian.com/society/2012/sep/21/lucy-dickenson-obituary|work=The Guardian|date=21 September 2012|access-date=22 March 2025}}{{cite news|last=Harris|first=Sharon|title="Since Lucy died, I haven't celebrated my birthday" – twin's 40th birthday tribute|url=https://www.barryanddistrictnews.co.uk/news/18480374.since-lucy-died-havent-celebrated-birthday---twins-40th-birthday-tribute/|work=Barry and District News|date=28 May 2020|access-date=22 March 2025}} She was a twin, and the daughter of Glenys and Mark Dickenson. Dickenson had two elder sisters. She was first educated at All Saints CIW Primary School and then at Bishop of Llandaff Church in Wales High School in Cardiff.{{cite news|last=Harris|first=Sharon|title=Zambia crash tragedy: Family of Lucy Dickenson pay tribute to 'wonderful' daughter and sister|url=https://www.barryanddistrictnews.co.uk/news/9899918.zambia-crash-tragedy-family-of-lucy-dickenson-pay-tribute-to-wonderful-daughter-and-sister/|work=Barry and District News|date=30 August 2012|access-date=22 March 2025}} Dickenson first became interested in charity work when she saw Comic Relief at the age of nine.{{cite news|last=Lewis|first=Anna|title=Woman 'lost part of her identity' when her twin sister was killed in a car crash in Africa|url=https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/woman-lost-part-identity-twin-14133596|work=WalesOnline|date=10 January 2018|access-date=22 March 2025}}

In January 1999, after completing her schooling,{{cite news|title='The murder of that man came back to me. I remembered them kicking him ... I went to pieces'|work=Western Mail|page=23|date=30 July 2009|id={{ProQuest|341771391}}}} Dickenson travelled to the African country of Uganda as part of a missionary with the North Wales-based Right Hand Trust Christian charity to assist AIDS affected orphans.{{cite news|last=Coleman|first=Cathy|title=Concern for Safety of Daughter|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/south-wales-echo-concern-for-safety-of-d/168504023/|work=South Wales Echo|page=1|date=3 March 1999|access-date=22 March 2025|via=Newspapers.com}}{{cite news|title=Welsh girl in Uganda phones to say she is safe and well|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/south-wales-echo-welsh-girl-in-uganda-ph/168504876/|work=South Wales Echo|page=3|date=4 March 1999|access-date=22 March 2025|via=Newspapers.com}} She was on a gap year, and worked at a secondary school and an orphanage in Kantare.{{cite news|last=Turner|first=Catherine|title=Charity worker speaks of Ugandan experience|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/south-wales-echo-charity-worker-speaks-o/168504981/|work=South Wales Echo|page=15|date=9 March 1999|access-date=22 March 2025|via=Newspapers.com}} Dickenson found her self caught up by violent unrest in which eight western tourists and four tour guides were murdered by Rwandan rebels on a trekking expedition at the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest in March 1999.{{cite news|last=Coleman|first=Cathy|title=Aid worker is staying put|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/south-wales-echo-aid-worker-is-staying-p/168505405/|work=South Wales Echo|page=15|date=14 April 1999|access-date=22 March 2025|via=Newspapers.com}}{{cite news|last=Williams|first=Tyrst|title=Fundraising concerts to help African orphans ; Barry aid worker determined to return to continent despite deaths of her friends|work=South Wales Echo|page=5|date=17 December 2001|id={{ProQuest|342157488}}}} She decided not to join the group as she had to start work at the orphanage early but was later forced out of her hotel by Rwandan Hutu rebels to witness the murder of a man.

When Dickenson returned to Britain in July 1999,{{cite news|last=Malone|first=Sam|title=Tributes to inspirational Lucy Dickenson after her death in Zambia|url=https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/tributes-inspirational-lucy-dickenson-after-2026287|work=WalesOnline|date=26 March 2013|orig-date=23 August 2012|access-date=22 March 2025}} the experience led her to seek therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder two years later and declined to enroll at the University of East London to study International Development after being offered a place there.{{cite news|title=The volunteer who cheated death to set t up her own charity|url=https://www.thefreelibrary.com/The+volunteer+who+cheated+death+to+set+t+up+her+own+charity%3B+Lucy...-a0204678149|work=South Wales Echo|page=46|date=30 July 2009|access-date=22 March 2025|via=The Free Library}} She and her twin sister established the Juniper Orphan Fund to provide assistance to Ugandan orphans. Dickenson founded The SAFE Foundation international development charity in 2006 and became operational the following year with her twin sister and a group of volunteer trustees in support of small, rural projects that had difficulty finding mainstream aid.{{cite web|last=Fitt|first=Hannah|title=A tribute to Lucy|url=https://thesafefoundation.co.uk/about/a-tribute-to-lucy/|publisher=The SAFE Foundation|access-date=22 March 2025}} At first, Dickenson operated the charity at the home of her mother in Barry, raising money in Britain to provide funding to projects across the globe and working with indigenously run partner charities. The charity later moved to Cardiff, sending the young NEETs to raise their self-esteem by sending them to head workshops in Africa and Asia.{{cite news|title=SAFE Foundation's Lucy Dickenson dies in Zambia crash|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-south-east-wales-19361810|work=BBC News|date=23 August 2012|access-date=22 March 2025}} She was the charity's sole full-time worker and worked long hours installing projects and getting funding from grants and fundraising. At the time of her death, the charity was running 16 projects in ten countries.

Dickenson spent six years studying part-time for a World Religion and International Development with humanities degree at the Open University. She held down a part-time job at Waterlily, a High Street gift shop. From the age of 14, Dickenson and her twin sister composed songs and performed as a duo known as Amber Hour, fusing dub music with folk and rock.{{cite news|title=Friday sounds: Unsigned: Two heads are better than one|work=South Wales Echo|page=46|date=23 August 2002|id={{ProQuest|342149640}}}} She was also a trustee of Vale for Africa for four years.{{cite web|title=Lucy Dickenson|url=http://www.vale4africa.co.uk/Vale_for_Africa/Lucy_Dickenson.html|work=Vale for Africa|access-date=22 March 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120926174333/http://www.vale4africa.co.uk/Vale_for_Africa/Lucy_Dickenson.html|archive-date=26 September 2012|url-status=dead}}

In August 2012, she travelled to the South-central African country of Zambia to perform charity work with the Monze District Land Alliance group, helping people grow food and advocacy work for woman who were subject to abuses of their land rights. Dickenson was involved in a road accident in the Southern Province and died of multiple injuries at Mtendere Mission Hospital, Chirundu on 20 August 2012.{{cite news|title=Charity worker killed|url=https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A300699063/GPS?u=wikipedia&sid=bookmark-GPS&xid=5d5d3548|work=The Times|page=13|date=25 August 2012|access-date=22 March 2025|via=Gale Academic OneFile|url-access=subscription}}{{cite news|last=Jones|first=Dominic|title=Dad's heartfelt tribute to charity-founder daughter|url=https://www.barryanddistrictnews.co.uk/news/15495903.dads-heartfelt-tribute-to-charity-founder-daughter/|work=Barry and District News|date=25 August 2017|access-date=22 March 2025}} Her funeral was held in Barry on 6 September 2012.{{cite news|title=Funeral of aid worker Lucy Dickenson attended by hundreds in Barry|url=https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/funeral-aid-worker-lucy-dickenson-2059359|work=WalesOnline|date=27 March 2013|orig-date=6 September 2012|access-date=22 March 2025}} An inquest into Dickenson's death held in Cardiff in August 2017 determined that her death was "accidental".{{cite news|title=Charity worker died in Zambia crash 'accident', inquest hears|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-south-east-wales-40934876|work=BBC News|date=15 August 2017|access-date=22 March 2025}}

She received the UN Goldstar Communities Award and was honored by the Welsh charity UnLtd as a "inspirational social entrepreneur". Dickenson was one of 17 women honored with a plaque on the Penarth Women Trail walking trail that was opened in Barry in 2014.{{cite news|title=International Women's Day marked by Barry in south Wales|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-21689952|work=BBC News|date=8 March 2013|access-date=22 March 2025}}{{cite news|title=Town honours top women with walking trail and map|work=South Wales Echo|date=15 March 2014|page=11|id={{ProQuest|1507521844}}}} A rare Welsh species fruit orchard was planted in tribute to her on a park at White Farm in Barry in 2014.{{cite news|last=Collins|first=Peter|title=Legacy of South Wales aid worker Lucy Dickenson marked with orchard of rare fruit|url=https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/local-news/lucys-legacy-commeorated-rare-orchard-8153298|work=WalesOnline|date=21 November 2014|access-date=22 March 2025}} A charity centre called the Lucy Memorial Centre was named for her and was opened in the Indian village of Mugaiyur in 2018.

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Category:1980 births

Category:2012 deaths

Category:People from Barry, Vale of Glamorgan

Category:People educated at Bishop of Llandaff Church in Wales High School

Category:Alumni of the Open University

Category:20th-century Welsh women

Category:21st-century Welsh women

Category:20th-century Welsh women singers

Category:21st-century Welsh women singers

Category:Welsh women singer-songwriters

Category:British social entrepreneurs

Category:Welsh philanthropists

Category:21st-century women philanthropists

Category:British aid workers

Category:Road incident deaths in Zambia