Ken was a remarkable visionary whose life and work had a profound and lasting impact on the lives of thousands of children and young people across the UK.
The Kentown Wizard Foundation continues to reflect the values and generosity that shaped Ken’s life and work.
In 2025, Dr Helena Dunbar established Kentown Support, funded by The Kentown Wizard Foundation. Set up as an independent not-for-profit organisation, Dr Dunbar as CEO, defined the charity’s mission to transform children’s community palliative care provision across the UK through meaningful collaboration and a unique model of programme delivery.
Kentown Support has also partnered with The Cicely Saunders Institute, King’s College, London in the funding of a new Centre of Excellence for children's palliative care research, education and training. The new Centre reflects a long-term commitment to building capacity in a field that has historically been under-resourced and under-researched and sets the standard globally for high quality research, education, and care.
In addition to funding several research studies, Master’s and PhD scholarships, the new centre will also ensure it builds research capacity and knowledge for care professionals and parents/carers of seriously ill children, advancing Ken’s legacy for the benefit of all.
Dr Dunbar said told That's Health: “I feel honoured and privileged to be able 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 whilst giving their families the support they need at such a difficult time.”
Significant challenges remain across 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’s aim is to work alongside existing services and organisations 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.
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