A MAN'S grieving family have raised almost £4,000 to help cover the costs of his funeral and to throw a post-coronavirus party in his memory.

Keith Chew, from Accrington, had been fishing off the coast of Fleetwood on Sunday morning when the decommissioned vessel he was sailing in with his father got into difficulty about a mile off the coast.

But despite the best efforts of Mr Chew’s father, Keith senior, and another friend, the 40-year-old couldn’t be saved and went down with the boat.

His sister Kelly spoke out in the wake of his death, vowing to give her brother the send-off that he deserved.

Now, the GoFundMe page she set up has raised almost £4,000 – money Kelly plans to use to help her father pay for the funeral costs and eventually throw a party to celebrate Keith’s life.

She said: “Lots of love and thank-you for all the donations.

“If people want to keep sharing and donating, please feel free, we’re going to keep the page open.

“We’ll be making a withdrawal pretty soon, maybe within the next week, so that my dad can sort out the funeral arrangements.

“I just wanted to say thank-you so, so much.”

Mr Chew, who turned 40 at the start of May, had planned to have a celebration for his birthday before the coronavirus crisis put an end to his plans.

In his honour, his family have now vowed to hold a memorial celebration to ensure that he gets the party he had planned for.

Miss Leigh added: “As soon as we can safely do so, we will hold a memorial and party to mark his life.”

Paying tribute to him, Kelly described her brother as the best brother, son and uncle.

She said: “He was a gentle giant and loved by everyone he ever met."

To donate, visit https://www.gofundme.com/f/a-send-off-for-keith.