Charitable foundation to honour Exmouth's Joanna Toole to be launched tomorrow

The Joanna Toole Foundation will be launched tomorrow, honouring the work of a young Exmouth woman with a passion for animal welfare, who tragically lost her life last year on Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET302.

Joanna Toole (Jo) was one of 157 passengers and crew who died when Ethiopian Airlines flight ET302 crashed shortly after take off from Ethiopia's Addis Ababa airport on March 10, 2019.

The cause of the crash is widely attributed to design faults in the Boeing 737 Max aeroplane, 100s of which remain grounded amidst fierce controversy as to whether it can be certified safe to fly again.

A British national, brought up in Exmouth Devon, Joanna ,36, had been living in Rome with partner Paul and working on the issue of marine debris for the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation.

On March 7, 2019, she was travelling to Nairobi Kenya to participate in the United Nations Environment Assembly where she was to direct an event titled Sea-based Sources of Marine Litter.

In a condolence letter to her father, Antnio Guterres, the Secretary General of the UN said: "As a champion of animal welfare and the conservation of wildlife, she faithfully reflected the values and principles of the United Nations making an important contribution for the responsible stewardship of our planet through her work."

Joanna had been approaching the conclusion of a course at Rome's LUMSA university, which has awarded her, posthumously, the degree of Master In Management of Sustainable Development Goals.

Joanna's father Adrian Toole said: "Jo understood that all change starts with individual choice and that each choice has a lasting impact, positive or negative, on the health of our planet, the well-being of animals and the inter-connected fate of our own species.

"Jo made the choice to dedicate her personal and professional life to the protection of animals and the prevention of animal suffering. Since Jo's death her family and friends, assisted by many of her professional colleagues have been working to ensure that her legacy endures and her mission continues."

To this end, Monday June 8 saw the official launch of the charity set up in her name, the Joanna Toole Foundation (JTF). The mission statement of the JTF is: 'To continue the global work of campaigner Joanna Toole in advancing the welfare of animals, in particular that of marine fauna. We achieve this through grants for practical action and training, for education on anthropogenic threats, and for scientific research.'

The trustees had intended this to be a real event held in Westminster with the participation of many Ocean-focussed organisations and the UK government. It has not been possible to do this under current circumstances so this is to be a virtual launch event on the website www.joannatoolefoundation.org.

The videos shown on the website relate Jo's life and describe her achievements. Clips feature charities that Jo worked for and acknowledgements from those who have already benefited from initiatives made to honour her.

Adrian added: "We are proud to feature an endorsement from Secretary of State Lord Goldsmith who tells us how highly Jo's work on animal welfare was appreciated by the UK Government."