A SALCOMBE resident has been forced to ask for donations to cover her father’s funeral after he died suddenly last month.

Lizzie Varcoe set up a Go Fund Me page to help pay for the funeral costs after her father David Samuel Paul Varcoe died of double bronchopneumonia on November 18. She is unable to seek government assistance for the costs as she is not in receipt of benefits.

‘None of us were expecting it...’ said Lizzie on the page, ‘We have no savings to put towards the funeral. My brother and I have to fund the funeral, and we have nothing between us. We have now been refused a government funeral grant as I don’t claim benefits.

‘All I want to do is say goodbye to my dad.

‘He worked all his life up until he had an accident at work which left him disabled for the remainder of his life. And when it comes to the end the government won’t even help fund his funeral. He was a good man, all I ask is that if he impacted your life in any way please donate to give him the send off he truly deserves.’

The page had raised £1,100 of a £1,500 goal in just 16 days, with donations from 46 people. Lizzie said: ‘I’d like to say a huge thank you to everyone who donated, it’s helped so much. I’m now able to pay for a funeral rather than a cremation as that was his wish.’

The funeral will take place on Thursday, December 15, at 1pm at St Andrew’s Church, Aveton Gifford, followed by a wake at The Regal Club, Kingsbridge.You can still donate here: Go Fund Me - My Father's Funeral