Over £1500 raised for funeral of paddleboarder dad who drowned near Crosby beach

A fundraising page has been created to help raise money for the funeral of ‘loving dad’ Joe Melia who tragically drowned during a family day out with his two children and partner at Crosby beach on Friday.

It is believed the 37-year-old got into difficulty while paddleboarding on the nearby Marine Lake. Following a four-day search by a specialist team of divers, his body was recovered on Monday (August 14).

Family described Mr Melia as a ‘loving dad’ and ‘kind and bubbly’. Now, family friend Gemma Lymer is raising money to give him the send off he deserves and support his partner, Demi.

The GoFundMe page reads: “Hi guys, I’ve started a go fund me for my friend Demi and her two children after they went through a devastating tragedy resulting in losing their dad/boyfriend. Joe and Demi took their children for a day out at Crosby beach where Joe got into difficulty in the marine lake and it resulted in him not returning home.

“Can we all please help in donating a little something to help Demi and her two children, I’ve had permission from Demi herself to create this page. Thank you all for reading and donating! Can you all share with your friends and family please it would be greatly appreciated xx”

The fundraiser was created on Monday (August 14) and as of 2.30pm on Tuesday (August 15), £1,710 of the £5,000 target has been raised, from 88 donations.