01
2014
Gilly and Rob
Michael and Elham welcomed twin boys, Gille and Robert, in 2014. The brothers shared the everyday language of childhood: movement, curiosity, laughter and discovery.
Our story
Two brothers. One enduring promise.
Gille—lovingly called Gilly—and his twin brother Robert, or Rob, were born in 2014. Their bond gave the charity its name; one family's experience gave it its purpose.
02
2019
A life cut heartbreakingly short
In 2019, Gilly died after a drowning accident in a swimming pool. He was five years old. His loss reshaped the family and sharpened a conviction: children everywhere deserve safer places to swim and adults equipped to protect them around water.
03
A promise
Grief turned into practical action
Michael, an entrepreneur and experienced business leader, founded Gilly&Rob to carry that conviction forward. The work began with safer swimming environments and grew around the whole child—play, emotional wellbeing, curiosity and opportunity.
04
The family grows
Carrying love forward
Michael and Elham later welcomed another son, Mathew. Today, the family story is held with care: never as a campaign device, but as the quiet reason behind a charity determined to create more safe, hopeful childhoods.
In Gilly's memory
His name moves with every child given room to thrive.
We tell this story with the family’s dignity at its centre and turn it into work that is practical, safe and built to last.
Carry the promise forward