Peter Gurney was one of the first Fundholders I met when I started working at Sussex Community Foundation. When I recently learnt of his death, I felt it was important to celebrate the difference he made across Sussex through the grants he made via the Purple Fund.

That first meeting with Peter will always be a memorable one. As a new member of the team, I accompanied Kevin (CEO at the Foundation) to introduce myself to Peter. There was spirited conversation around the provision for people affected by blindness and visual impairments, as well as the demand for mental health services and the specific needs of veteran communities within Sussex and beyond.

During this conversation, I noticed a grenade on the table close by with a screwdriver next to it. My curiosity took the better of me, and after answering a few questions about one charity, I had to ask about it.

“What’s that over there, Peter? Is that a grenade?”

He picks it up. “Oh, this? I promise this one won’t blow up!”

It turns out that it was a replica, which he had made for one of his daring exploits while he was serving. The meeting was over; we were now rapturously listening to stories of his past.

Many of our meetings were like this. As they should be. It’s important for us to talk about the charities that we’ve received applications from, but also to learn about the people making the decisions and their reasoning. I greatly appreciated the time I had with Peter, hearing his stories.

There have been some moving tributes already written about Peter, focusing on his career and military accolades, but I wanted to shed light on the difference he was able to make via the Purple Fund.

Originally set up with his wife, the Purple Fund supported organisations reducing social isolation amongst older people and people with mental health problems, charities which therapeutically used cats and other animals, and organisations supporting veterans and people affected by sight loss and hearing loss.

Over the past five years, the Purple Fund has given out over £200,000 to charities across Sussex, with the majority based in West Sussex, where Peter lived. As it’s an Endowment Fund, we’ll continue supporting organisations in the memory of both Peter and his late Wife, Sheridan, long into the future via the Purple Fund.

Peter Gurney 1931 – 2025.