My battle to bury grandad with pride
SOUTHPORT man Matthew Blundell has launched an appeal to help pay for his grandad’s funeral after caring for him cost Matthew his job.
Matthew’s grandfather Eric Hargreaves passed away on Sunday, December 11 after a three -year battle with blood cancer.
Matthew, 34, was forced out of two jobs in the retail sector after taking time off to care for his grandfather when his mother was unable.
The family are now facing massive funeral bills and caring costs from the council.
Matthew told the Visiter: “We have been sent bills to cover the minimal care he received from various companies but our main priority is to bury him in a respectful way.
“I have lived with my grandfather almost all my life and I hate that we can’t afford to give him a proper send off.”
Sefton has the highest burial and cremation costs in the country and the problems that Matthew is facing are becoming more and more common.
Eric was cared for by his daughter Ann and grandson Matthew for the past 20 years.
Eric lost his wife Eileen to cancer in 1998 and went blind due to the stress and grief of her death.
He fought in WWII in the Welsh Guards and followed this had a long career as a plumber at Hilsdons, before forming 24hr Plumbing.
When Eric passed away he did not have any life insurance or savings and, due to struggling circumstances funding his care during his battle with cancer, his family also have been left with no funds at all.
They have been told that no government funds are available MATTHEW BLUNDELL to them.
Matthew now suffers heavily with depression as a result of the way he was treated by his employers and is struggling to fund the funeral himself.
Matthew has set up a JustGiving page in the hope that the community will help him fund the funeral.
Matthew said: “My mother is a very self-confident woman and has maintained that she did not want to “beg” for money.
“I need to help and just ask for you to give what you can to help us say goodbye to an amazing man, no matter how small an amount.”
Matthews JustGiving page can be found at www.justgiving.com/ erichargeaves