Community comes together to help Thatcham man pay for son's funeral

Fundraisers say they are 'overwhelmed' after reaching £1,000 target in less than 24 hours

TWO friends from Thatcham said they have been overwhelmed by the kindness of the community after raising more than £1,000 to cover the funeral costs of their neighbour’s son.

When Martyn Johnson’s youngest son, Bryan, suddenly died at the age of 29, he was left with no way to pay the funeral costs.

Bryan collapsed and died in September, as a result of a known heart condition, while walking to work at the Community Furniture Project in Hambridge Road.

And following his son's death Martyn, of Derwent Road, was told the cheapest funeral available would cost more than £3,000.

Receiving only £700 from the Government towards the funeral, and unable to work due to ill-health, the 64-year-old thought he had nowhere to turn – until the local community came together to help raise the funds on his behalf.

Newbury pubs The Snooty Fox and The Monument, which Bryan would often frequent, held charity evenings to raise almost £1,200, while neighbours Helen Warke and Sabine Field set up a crowdfunding page in an attempt to collect the remaining amount.

And after posting Martyn’s story on Facebook, the two friends said they couldn’t believe it when neighbours, friends and even complete strangers donated more than £1,000 in less than 24 hours.

Speaking to the Newbury Weekly News Helen said: “It’s unbelievable, it really is.

“We’re both just so overwhelmed by the kindness that people have shown.

“Everyone’s come forward wanting to help, even people who have never met Martyn.

“We want to say thank you to everyone who has donated.”

Sabine added: “He’s a very humble man and would never ask for anything.

“Something like this just restores your faith in community spirit.”

The fundraising page has now reached more than £1,400 meaning that Martyn can afford a funeral for Bryan, and he has insisted that anything above the £1,000 target is donated to The Royal Berks Charity and The British Heart Foundation.

Martyn added: “This really has put things in perspective for me.

“The fact that they’ve all stepped forward coming up to Christmas when things will be tight for everyone – they’ve all been so generous.

“I just want to say thank you to everyone.”

Anyone who would like to donate can still do so by visiting https://crowdfunding.justgiving.com/funeral4Brian