Toxteth community worker still helping people after his death
A Liverpool community worker who died in 2021 is still helping families improve their standard of living.
Alan Gayle, who was a community worker at Liverpool 8 Law Centre, died in August 2021 aged 76. His daughter, Janice, wanted to do something in her father’s name. Due to his work in Liverpool 8 and beyond Janice paid for a well, named after Alan, in the home country of one of his favourite Liverpool footballers.
Janice’s father-in-law told her about a charity called Muslim Hands following a conversation about what she could do in Alan’s memory. Muslim Hands help people in countries around the world.
Janice, 45, told the ECHO: “In the 1980s my dad travelled to the refugee camps in Ethiopia to locate Somali refugees, due to civil war, so they could be reunited with family members in Liverpool. At the time Somalia was not on the list of countries and my grandfather’s birthplace, Sierra Leone, did not have great need, so the village of Baila in Senegal was chosen for the well due to my dad’s love of Liverpool FC and ex-Liverpool player Sadio mane, as Senegal is where he is from.
“Completed in December 2023, it cost £660, took a year for planning permission and for it to be constructed. I did not tell family members and wanted to surprise them when I sent the picture of the sign with his name on”.
Family at the well in Baila, Senegal named after Toxteth community worker Alan Gayle benefitting hundreds of people making their lives easier (Image: Muslim Hands)
The 406 residents of Baila benefited greatly as now they spend a fraction of their time fetching the household’s daily water. Their children spend more time in school rather than collecting water and adults increase their income as their health improves in a country where 3.6 million people do not have access to safe water.
Janice added: “I pray for my dad each day, and in my Muslim faith he earns the rewards of blessings to help him on Judgement Day. After death you cannot earn blessings, only the living can earn them for you and by benefitting hundreds of people through the well my dad will also earn blessings from that too to go on the scale of good deeds for him when judged”.
A collective statement from the community said: “We are extremely pleased and convey our thanks to you for the positive change that has been brought into our lives because of your generous donation.”
Muslim Hands, established in 1993 helps people affected by poverty, conflict and natural disaster in over 20 countries including the UK. They’re dedicated to serving the most vulnerable people by empowering communities, addressing the root causes of poverty and helping with health needs, farming tools, education, tree planting, and much more.
Alan Gayle (R) is still helping people after his death in 2021 pictured with his daughter Janice at her 2003 wedding (Image: Family Archives)
Due to their global safe water programme Muslim hands have created almost 16,000 wells and helped one million people, with 128,000 school children now having safe water and more than 294,000 livelihoods have been improved.
Dijuana, the elder sister of Janice said: “She did not tell me and just sent me the picture and when I looked I saw my dad’s name I thought oh my gosh, just wow. I thought, how beautiful is this and I was surprised and shocked?
“I posted it on my WhatsApp and loads of people contacted me asking how they could do something similar. Janice does not realise how much this has touched people and now they want to do similar things.
“My eight-year-old son is saving because he wants to buy a well in the name of his deceased brothers O’shea and Dre”.
Alan Gayle in the front office of Liverpool 8 Law Centre where he worked for over 25 years helping the community of Liverpool 8 and beyond (Image: Liverpool 8 Law Centre Archives)
Alan worked at Liverpool 8 Law centre for over 25 years and in 1989 following the outbreak of civil war in Somali he along with a delegation from Liverpool and other cities travelled to the refugee camps in Ethiopia. They aimed to locate over 400 people from over 100 families so they could apply for them to be united with their families who lived in the UK.
Following Alan’s death friends and colleagues paid tribute to him, one said: “In my opinion, Alan’s greatest achievement at the Law Centre was overcoming his fear of flying when he went to Somalia, a war torn area of the world at the time, to trace family members of Liverpool’s Somali community. Another said: “He seemed to have a hand in everything that was going on. He was justifiably respected by all”.
The greatest tribute came from his family who said: “What a legacy he’s left behind…hearing and listening to history, looking at photographs, seeing all of this makes (us) so proud to call you, Alan Gayle, (our) dad (and grandfather). You will always be our Martin Luther King, Malcolm X and Nelson Mandela. You are our hero, love from all your children and grandchildren”.
For information visit Muslim Hands HERE
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