The Richard Beaumont Bursary
Richard's family have set up this bursary to help young people from low-income households reach for the stars and follow their dreams.
Richard – or Ricky to his family, friends, and students – had a passion for the Arts. Sadly, Ricky passed away after a short illness on 26th April 2022.
Ricky was born in St Albans on the 5th April 1961 to Sally Barnes & Bobby Beaumont. He leaves behind his wife Lynn and his two children, Emma and Charlotte. Devastatingly, his son Bobby passed away at the age of 36 on 15th April 2022.
Ricky started in show business at the age of 4 when he filmed a lemon pie advert. Success came at an early age, playing Tiny Tim in the film Scrooge, Billy White in Digby the Biggest Dog in the World, and the Young Pip in Great Expectations. He also starred in The Secret Garden (BBC), Grange Hill, and Lorna Doone plus many other films, TV, and theatre productions. He also won a Fringe First Award for co-writing The Night of the Jockstrap with his sister, Laura.
He met Lynn whilst touring in Bill Kenwrights Joseph and The Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat which changed his life. In 1997 they launched Blag Theatre Company and opened Blag Youth Theatre and have been ‘Blagging it’ ever since.
The love and passion Ricky had for the Arts was immeasurable, which is why Richard’s family have chosen to donate to a charity that will help young people from low-income households pay for performing arts classes, so they too can reach for the stars and follow their dreams, using money raised for The Richard Beaumont Bursary.
£12,000 = changing the lives of over 40 underprivileged young people with arts bursaries.
Christopher eloquently shared his motivation behind his donation, “I am donating this sum to NYAT so that the young people who have the desire, ambitions and dreams, that Ricky and I had back in the early / mid 1970s, when we were child actors, can come true, just like Ricky’s and mine.”
Christopher ultimately wants to share the same kindness Ricky shared with him all those years ago with our recipients. NYAT is extremely grateful for this generous legacy in the name of his dear friend Ricky.
