Legendary comedian Sir Ken Dodd’s legacy continues to transform lives, as his charitable foundation is now supporting an Isle of Man education initiative providing opportunities for students in a small Caribbean nation.

St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) has a slightly larger population than the Isle of Man but has only one 10th its per capita income.

The Isle of Man-St Vincent and the Grenadines Education Programme (ISEP) was created to help its young people after the eruption of La Soufrière volcano severely disrupted their education.

Sir Ken’s widow, Anne, Lady Dodd, made the first large grant to ISEP from the Ken Dodd Charitable Foundation in 2022, covering almost half of the cost of a three-week study tour to the Isle of Man by 12 students from SVG, and giving the newly formed Manx charity a crucial boost.

She said that ISEP was ‘exactly the sort of thing that Ken believed in and liked to support’.

Lady Dodd added that she and Ken always loved coming to the Isle of Man. ‘Ken’s performances before wonderful audiences at the Gaiety and the Villa Marina were amongst our happiest memories,’ she said.

During the 2022 study tour, the students learned about Manx history and culture through field trips and lectures.

With its theme of ‘The Art of the Possible”’ they were inspired by many speakers including Dr John Taylor, who described how being dyslexic and having to think around words led him to become a prolific inventor, and Dutch record-breaking transatlantic yachtsman Jeroen Wats, who lives in Castletown.

ISEP has since awarded two full boarding scholarships - each for two years - at King William’s College to students affected by the volcano.

The first recipient, Kayla Bobb, will complete her International Baccalaureate in May and plans to study law. A second student, talented musician, Luca Roberts, started in September 2024.

In the years since her husband’s death in 2018, Lady Dodd has devoted her life to philanthropy, from which many good causes in Britain have benefited.

After the initial donation, she committed two further very generous grants to ISEP, effectively providing core funding for the scholarships.

ISEP chair Tim Cullen MBE said: ‘For our charity, it is immensely satisfying that these donations were made possible by a man who earned the money to fund his foundation by working very hard for hundreds of evenings a year making people laugh and bringing happiness to so many people through humour.’

ISEP is run by volunteers so administrative costs are minimal and are fully covered by donations made by the charity’s own trustees. Patron is Lieutenant Governor Sir John Lorimer.

While the Ken Dodd Foundation’s support has been transformative and has helped to inspire other generous donors, ISEP still needs more funding.

Mr Cullen said: ‘We want to give more young people life-changing opportunities, but we can’t do it alone. We are now reaching out to new corporate and individual donors to continue ISEP’s mission. Every donation helps build a brighter future.’

For details on how to donate to the charity go to www.isep.im