Tributes to Norfolk drug abuse charity founder
Tributes have been paid to Peter John Farley, founder of the Norfolk drug and alcohol abuse charity the Matthew project, who died on 29 September 2022.
Peter was a servant to society in many ways, from his early career as a Police Detective in the Midlands and Hertfordshire, and as the Headmaster at Sheringham Court School which was a residential school for boys who were under-functioning educationally, a job he especially loved.
In 1984, Peter and his wife, Margaret, founded the Christian charity, The Matthew Project, to help people fight drug and alcohol abuse. The project originally went out to secondary schools in the county and had an in-person counselling service in central Norwich. It has since gone on to help people live lives free from substance misuse while providing support to young people, veterans, professionals, people in recovery, and the family and carers affected.
He travelled extensively with the Matthew Project, speaking and supporting others in places as far away as Kenya, Latvia, Portugal, Russia and South Africa. He also attended conferences in Florida, Sweden & Spain with ISAAC (International Substance Abuse & Addiction Coalition) and visited No 10 in David Cameron’s time, Highgrove in Prince Charles’s time and met the Queen at Sandringham. Post retirement from his day to day work with the Matthew Project he was greatly honoured to become a Patron of the charity.
Peter is also remembered for the work he did for the charity Care for Children that pioneers family placement care for abandoned children in China as an alternative to institutional care. He travelled to China several times and raised awareness and money for the charity by walking the Great Wall of China with his great friend and founder Robert Glover.
Later in life he worked for the Trusted Charity Mark (formerly known as PQASSO) inspecting and auditing charities both large and small and helping them to get accreditation.
Closer to home he was a valued member of the Sheringham Town Council and one of his more recent achievements was to help establish and raise funds for the Sheringham Men’s Shed run by Lighthouse Community Church for men and women to find community through workshops, arts and crafts, computer classes and coffee mornings.
Peter was a published writer and poet. He was also a keen flower photographer and loved good food and a night around the chimenea talking and looking at the stars. He loved to travel and would always learn to say hello, goodbye and thank you in whatever language he was confronted with and will be fondly remembered by many for his cheeky sense of humour.
Peter is loved and remembered dearly by his beloved wife Margaret, his children Caroline, Mark, Sarah and Rebekah, their respective partners, his many devoted grandchildren, great grandchildren and his cat Misty. His family were there to support him in his last weeks and shared many special moments including a visit from his dear sister Pauline.
His family said, “Peter was an exceptional man who led an inspirational life. He was a genuinely kind-hearted person who strived to help others in any way that he could. He will be remembered personally by many whom he helped, for he often put the concerns of others in front of his own to provide care, support and opportunities for growth.
“It brought Peter so much joy to be able to help so many people and it brings his family great comfort and pride that his legacy lives on through the work that the Matthew Project continues to do.”
A private cremation will take place on Tuesday 11 October. Afterwards, all are welcome to attend a service of thanksgiving at St Peter’s Sheringham, 26 Church St, NR26 8QS at 11.00am with a wake afterwards at Lighthouse Community Church, 62 Cromer Road, Sheringham NR26 8RT from 12.30pm onwards.
While Peter was a great lover of flowers he has asked that, instead of flowers, donations are made to the Matthew Project via this link https://peterfarley.muchloved.com/
This link will also give details of the live steaming of the thanksgiving service for those not able to attend.
Please add your memories of and tributes to Peter below.