WHEN Ben Mullany was at school, many of the pupils at Cwmtawe were not even born. But the fact they never met the 31-year-old, who was murdered on his honeymoon with his doctor wife Catherine, has not mattered one bit when it comes to making sure his memory lives on.

They worked non-stop to organise an Olympic-themed fundraiser for the charity set up in tribute to the Swansea Valley couple. This month a last burst of sponsorship money came in — bringing the total to more than £1,300.

Assistant head of year 10, Gemma Morgan, said the story of the couple’s love and their tragic death had touched many at the school.

“Ben was a former pupil here, so we really wanted to do something for the charity set up in his and Catherine’s memory,” she added.

“From the beginning pupils and staff worked very hard on the activities.”
Youngsters organised an Olympic week which included a host of sponsored activities such as taking on a taxing assault course.

Ms Morgan added: “We decided on a sporting theme because we were aware Ben was a keen sportsman, who had a great talent on the rugby pitch as a player and a promising future off it as a physiotherapist.”

And a mixture of their persistence in looking for sponsorship and people’s generosity resulted in a big cash boost for The Mullany Fund. The charity gives financial support to medical students — both continuing the good work the couple had started and preserving their memory in the process.

It was set up after Ben and Catherine were shot on their honeymoon in Antigua last July.

More than £33,000 has been raised for the fund, which has a target of £50,000 by the end of its first year of operation. The charity was launched a few days before Cath and Ben’s funeral in Llandaf Cathedral on the 10th September 2008. Ben’s younger brother Adam, also a former Cwmtawe comprehensive pupil, popped back to his old stomping ground to thank school pupils for their efforts with their October fund-raiser.

He said: “The students did a truly amazing job. Cwmtawe was also the school I went to, and it was nice to see some of mine and Ben’s old teachers who clearly were very passionate about the cause. “It’s great to know the school is still helping us to get on in life.”

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