THE family of a former King John School pupil who died suddenly in Vietnam, have been able to bring his body home thanks to a successful fundraising campaign.
Reece Watt, 29, from Benfleet, passed away of natural causes last month while living in Vietnam.
In the aftermath Reece’s family discovered his travel insurance had expired - and were told the cost of bringing him back to the UK would be about £10,000.
Close friend of Reece, Mitchell Golland, set up a JustGiving page - and received a huge response. The target was hit within two weeks.
As well as donations, events were also organised to help raise money towards the cause.
A music tribute night took place earlier this month at The Borough Hotel, Southend.
The event saw an abundance of people attending to raise a glass to their beloved friend.
Currently, the money raised has reached £12,580.
Students at his former school, King John School, have also helped towards the total, donating £1,200.
Reece, who had converted to Rastafari culture, was living in Cambodia before accepting a job offer to teach English to children in Vietnam.
His funeral will take place in Brentwood on February 13.
Details on the JustGiving page state that Reece was a “young free spirit so a mourning dress code will not be necessary”.
Dr Wilson, headteacher of the King John School said: “We were very saddened to hear of the sudden passing of Reece who was a former student at The King John School.
“One of our students advised us that it was going to cost £10,000 to repatriate him home to his family.
“The students at King John School regularly fund raise for various local charities and each year group has a different chosen charity.
“The students agreed unanimously to donate a total of £1,200 from the year group funds to help Reece’s family get him back home where he belonged.
“We are pleased that as a school we were able to contribute in this way, but it is astonishing the family exceeded the amount required in such a short space of time.
“Our thoughts go out Reece’s family and friends at this very sad time.”
If you want to donate you still can at justgiving.com/crowdfunding/reecewatt
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