THE tragic death of a teenager has led to the launch of a fundraising campaign to help his parents meet funeral costs.
William ‘Will’ Cooke died on the morning of Friday, January 17 close to Shaw and Crompton tram station.
Floral tributes have been placed on the platform in memory of the 19-year-old student.
Now with the permission of William’s parents, Chris and Michelle, Jen Buckley hopes to raise £5,000 for the family.
At the time of going to press more than £3,200 had been pledged on William’s GoFundMe page.
Jen writes on the page: “Tragically early this morning (January 17, 2020) my cousin, Michelle’s son William, was involved in an accident and sadly died.
“William was a fun loving 19-year-old with a bright future ahead of him.
“He was an apprentice at Hopwood Hall College and employed by Makin Metal Powders. He was finishing his extended level 3 in engineering, he loved his job and it meant the world to him. He also loved to party with his friends at weekend.
“William was the eldest of Michelle and Chris’s four children, a great brother to James, Callum and Alicia.
“Many of you will know that James was in a horrendous accident in April. Both Michelle and Chris had to take a lot of time off work to support James during his lengthy hospital stay.
“However, no parent should have to attend the funeral of their child and also have the worry of how they pay for it which is why I am setting up this page.
“During this heart-breaking time, if we can raise some money to help with this, it will allow them time to grieve as a family without the added stress of the costs.”
In a separate post Jen added: “Thank you again for all your support, we are so close to the halfway point now.
“But in all honesty, there is no final target, I set an amount because I had to put something.
“The next few days, months, years are going to be the toughest of the Cooke families lives and anything we raise will help support them.”
A separate fundraising effort has started at Tesco Extra in Shaw. All monies from the raffle will be donated to the family.
GMP believe Will’s death to be “non-suspicious” but enquiries are continuing.
The matter has also been reported to the Rail Accidents Board.
• Visit the GoFundMe page at: www.gofundme.com/f/jmaprr-for-william