Dave Rotchelle’s legacy helps those in need

FORMER LFB chair, the late Dave Rotchelle, left a £1000 bequest to NUJ Extra in his will. Welcoming the gesture, Chris Wheal, chair of the union's charity said: "Dave's kindness of spirit was his defining quality. This contribution ensures that his impulse to help those in distress endures." NUJ Extra's funds mostly come from the union members' subscriptions. Bequests provide an important additional source of income.

The charity currently has more than £2 million invested, and income from this helps members and their families when they are most in need.

Wheal added: "If this legacy encourages one or two more members to remember NUJ Extra in their wills, however modestly, it will make Dave's generous act doubly impactful."

Rotchelle, a photographer and drummer, chaired LFB for over a decade. Beloved by branch members, he died in 2020 at the age of 68 after battling diabetes-related illnesses.

NUJ Extra usually provides members with one-off payments during crisis situations. LFB member Eugene Costello, for example, suffered a heart-attack, stroke and multiple organ failure that nearly killed him and led to months off work. NUJ Extra stepped in to help. Since then Costello has recovered and re-established his successful career as a freelance writer.

Rotchelle was made a union Member of Honour in 2016, one of fewer that 300 people accorded this status in the NUJ's 116-year history. With this charitable act he demonstrated that he fully reciprocated the membership's esteem.

Dave Rotchelle obituary

NUJ Extra nuj.org.uk