It is with great sadness that we report the death of our dear friend and colleague, Sam Keen.

Sam, 27, worked for Preston Bennett for over 4 years and he will be greatly missed.

Sam endured a heroic 7-year battle against melanoma with bravery, fortitude and an inspiring attitude that touched everyone who knew him.

Shortly before his untimely death,  he married his long-term sweetheart, Ali, and she, together with close members of the family have set up The Sam Keen Foundation – which will fund melanoma research  at the Royal Marsden Hospital in Kensington led by Sam’s oncologist, Professor Martin Gore.

“Setting up the Foundation just seemed like the obvious way to pay tribute to Sam,” said Ali Keen. “ He really believed in the work that the doctors at the Royal Marsden were doing and considered many of the staff there to be good friends.”

We, at Preston Bennett, are also committed to actively support the Sam Keen Foundation and are working with Ali, his mother and father, Annie and Peter and the rest of the family to organise a number of major fund-raising events later this year – to help reach the initial target of £ 100,000, but hopefully much, much more. So please watch for further announcements about these.

To date over £60,000 has been raised - a fitting recognition of the measure of the man that Sam had become.

Meanwhile if you would like to make a contribution now to the Sam Keen Foundation please visit www.thesamkeenfoundation.co.uk

Photocaption: Sam Keen 1984-2011