The trouble is people see the fund raiser and knowing very little about myself or Tony start jumping to conclusions and forming their own opinions . I try and explain to them they are wrong about things but they've already made up their minds and don't want to hear or consider anything else .

I met Tony totally by chance because we both like the same UK ban from back in the 70's . I picked his name totally randomly from a mailing list for news on this band because he was on AOL too and we could chat on there about the band . Which is what it was to start with .. we started chatting on line with more fans and discovered sites online where we also got to know more fans as well as chatting together on our own too .
After wed been chatting like this for maybe a year Tony said something about having a lot going on at home .. and I just said I was there for him if he wanted to talk about it . He said it wasn't something he found easy to talk about and I said OK but if he needed someone I was a good listener . He's like that doesn't find it easy to open up to people .. likes to keep himself to himself and feels ashamed of what's happened to him . For some reason though he was able to tell me about having problems at work and falling behind with the rent and the house being in receivership .. never asking for anything other than what I was .. a friend that would listen and be there for him without judging him or expecting anything from him .. just someone he could offload to and trust .
They lost their home and for 6 years lived part of each month in their car on the streets and part in a hotel when they had enough to cover a room . Through this time I was there for him and we were in touch via the Internet or phone calls or texts almost every day . He cared for his father and learning disabled brother on his own in these circumstances even after his father had bowel cancer which left him with a colostomy bag . So many times he would beg me to pray they all just died because it was a living hell they were going through .. and so many times I managed to help him hold it together and face another day . Never did he ask me for anything more than that though .
It was after they spent Christmas and new year out in their car one year with no food to eat and I was here having our usual family Christmas it was horrible because I was so very worried about them at the same time . I vowed never would they have another Christmas like that . The following Christmas I asked Tony if he'd let me do him a fund raiser to make sure they had a room over Christmas . IT WAS ME THAT ASKED HIM TO LET ME DO IT FOR HIM .. MY IDEA NOT HIS . He was dead against it saying no way did he want people knowing his business and about his private life . I want going to be put off though .. I wanted them safe this time and never wanted to have a Christmas like the previous one again . I eventually persuaded him to let me do them one .. so long as no names or addresses or other information about them was used and so long as I ran it for him so it didn't cause him extra stress and hassle .Which is why at first they were just done as being for a friend .. no names were used ... why no addresses of hotels were given out .. and why it was only photos of the dogs because I respected his wishes . It took a lot of persuading to let me use photos of him and his brother on there and use his name .. its only recently hes allowed this . That is when the first one was done and up till his dads death it was just the odd one done to make sure they had a room over holidays .
When his dad died all his brothers benefits were recalculated and he never knew what money they would get when for about 4 months . This is when I did the fund raisers more often to make sure they had something coming in when they had nothing . They were both extremely distraught about his dads death and because of all the worry were never really given time to grieve properly . At this time they were still having to live part of each month in their car .. but the car was getting very old and when it became unusable I started doing fund raisers for them so they could hold onto their hotel room because they no longer had the car to use .

That answers how I know him I hope . As for have I found ways to verify what hes saying yes I've phoned him via the hotel number before , I've sent packages direct to his hotel for him , I've spoken to him on Skype and spoken to his dad and brother many times too . When his brother died I was very very worried about him .. very scared he might not be able to get through it and he was talking a lot about finding a way to kill himself . I called the hotel where he was staying and asked if they could keep a close eye on him because I was very worried about him . They must of got in touch with some crisis centre because a policeman came and checked he was OK and asked if he was likely to harm himself . I have lots of photos of him and his brother and one he sent of his dad taken whilst his dad was in hospital and ones of his brother seriously ill in hospital with cancer .
When we had that Amanda Bradie causing trouble I made a chat room on Facebook for all of those who had become loyal supporters and donated regularly and posted the fund raiser out on Facebook when they saw my posts .. those I knew we could trust and invited Tony too .. it also came in useful when I went away on holiday for a week and my Internet was a bit hit and miss .. I added him in and told him to pop in there if he needed to talk , that those in there were our supporters and he could trust them .. I was surprised to see he had been in there to be honest as like I say he likes to keep himself to himself .. and it was one of that band of supporters who took him the food . She did this even though she was and in fact still is battling a kidney infection herself . Some times people doubting the validity of things have asked for proof of what hes paid for the hotel and on several occasions when he was at the other hotel hes asked them to do a full print off for the month and photographed it and e mailed it to me so I can add it to the gallery on the fund raiser . Now they are at the new hotel its a bit different .. but when asked for proof and receipts for the hotel .. he took a photograph of the 2 most recent receipts he had and sent them me for me to add to the gallery .. which I did ..... he can prove what has been spent on the room because hes doing what he says he is and is in need ... he is so stressed a lot of the time that its all he can do to survive another day .. I know this because I have spoken to him on these days and heard him sobbing down the phone .. other times getting so angry and frustrated with things and other times saying he doesn't care any more and just wants to get off this world because he doesn't belong .. and begs me to pray he dies so he doesn't have to go on like this any more . There's days where a horrible black depression gets a hold of him and even I cant make much difference to him .
I hope from the above you can see I have lots of ways of knowing Tony is who he says he is and verifying everything is true ... HE IS IN NO WAY SCAMMING ME OR ANYONE ELSE .. everything is exactly as it says on the fund raiser and this guy has truly been through so much .. I doubt many could of got through even half what he has . So many times its been me that's given him the strength to go on and got him through yet another day , week , month in hell . Me that's been the gaffer tape holding him together when hes breaking into a million pieces . For years that's all I was .. someone to just BE THERE FOR HIM WITHOUT JUDGING .. and it was ME that persuaded him to let ME do the fund raisers ...... The problem is there are some who do scam others out there ...... and we all get tarred with the same brush . I appreciate people are trying to look out for me ... and worry that things aren't what he makes out .. BUT I KNOW 1000% they are ...... and have been with him holding him together every step of the way for a long long time and for much of that time that's all it was .. me being a friend he could talk to ...... he asked for nothing more . You try and explain this to them but without knowing the full facts they have already made up their mind and start shouting about how its a scam and don't want to hear or believe anything else and those in genuine need suffer for it .. If they don't feel comfortable donating that's fine .. just skip over it ... and I understand people being concerned and that its hard to know who is genuine and who is not .. but I have no doubts or concerns when it comes to Tony as over the years , and its been many more than the ones I've done fund raisers , I have had proof of things so very many times and been able to verify everything so many times .

I hope this explains things to you and that you see that those people are wrong this is me wanting to help a friend in genuine need .. nothing more and nothing less .. and no one is scamming anyone at all . Thanks again for contacting me and I do appreciate all that you and others from the site do .. Thank You .. Jill xxx

Maybe if I use the photos below to show you what the last 12 years have donr to Tony's physical appearance it might help

this is Tony before he lost his home , when I first started chatting with him on the internet

This is Tony at the end of last year

This is Tony now

Yes he wants to get rid of that messy beard too ... but he feels so shaky and dizzy all the time that he daren't risk trying to shave it off and cutting himself to shreds . He is not well at all and maybe seeing how the last 11 years have altered him and aged him you can see that now .