Kentown Support Mourns the Passing of Founder Kenneth Townsley
London, UK – It is with heavy hearts that Kentown Support announces the passing of Kenneth Townsley, the founder of The Kentown Wizard Foundation. Townsley, a remarkable visionary, dedicated his life to improving the lives of thousands of children and young people across the UK. His legacy and impact will continue to be felt through the work of The Kentown Wizard Foundation.
In 2025, Dr. Helena Dunbar established Kentown Support, an independent not-for-profit organization funded by The Kentown Wizard Foundation. As CEO, Dr. Dunbar defined the charity’s mission to transform children’s community palliative care provision across the UK through collaboration and a unique model of program delivery.
Kentown Support has also joined forces with The Cicely Saunders Institute at King’s College London to fund a new Centre of Excellence for children’s palliative care research, education, and training. This new center reflects a long-term commitment to building capacity in a field that has historically been under-resourced and under-researched. The centre sets the global standard for high-quality research, education, and care, and will provide scholarships for several research studies, Master’s and PhD students, and will also support research capacity and knowledge for care professionals and parents/carers of seriously ill children.
Dr. Dunbar said, “I feel honoured and privileged to continue Ken’s legacy and vision through Kentown Support. We are making groundbreaking strides in closing gaps in children’s community palliative care. Our model is strengthening collaboration and integration with existing services at a local level and is ensuring that seriously ill children can remain at home, cared for by skilled professionals and able to meet their complex needs while giving their families the support they need at such a difficult time.”
Despite significant progress, challenges remain in the children’s palliative care sector, including shortages of skilled personnel, limited access to 24/7 specialist children’s community palliative care, and fragmented services. Kentown Support aims to work alongside existing services and organizations to address these gaps and improve the quality, accessibility, and coordination of children’s community palliative care through cultural change and a fully collaborative approach.
Through its work, Kentown Support will continue Ken Townsley’s vision of improving and impacting the lives of thousands of seriously ill children across the UK. His legacy will live on in every family supported, every professional empowered, and every child enabled to receive compassionate, expert care at home.
Kentown Support extends its deepest sympathies to Ken’s family, friends, the staff and board of trustees at The Kentown Wizard Foundation, and all who were touched by his extraordinary life and generosity.
For more information about Kentown Support and its mission, please visit www.kentownsupport.org.uk.
Media Contact:
Debbie Jacobs
Marketing and Communications Manager
debbie.jacobs@kentownsupport.org.uk
0730 994 1438
