Mr Alistair Sykes Funeral Fund

Hi there, I am setting up this Go Fund Me page for many reasons. I am doing this on behalf of the family effected and with the families’ permission and might I add with a very heavy heart.

Alistair Sykes was a good man. He was a simple being with little needs other than wanting his lovely wife Catherine to be happy and wonderful daughters, Lorna, Ella, Emily and Isabella to feel loved and safe.

However, following a serious industrial accident at work Alistair was pinned between a loading bay and a reversing wagon and his spine was broken. Luckily the injury didn’t paralyse Alistair but it did leave him with life changing injuries that required him to start a lengthy battle of balancing pain relief with quality of life.

Alistair had to medicate himself every night, the effects of being which caused him to pass out. Once his pain got hold he would struggle to operate reducing his movement to be contained within the house and this lead eventually to a very dark mental battle that Alistair battled without complaining.

Alistair’s wife Catherine was his rock, she stood with him every step of the way and made sure he attended appointments he really didn’t want to attend and climbed into his safe zone that he used to put himself into when the depression got unbearable, she was patient and understanding and loved him as she vowed in sickness and in health.

His children lived almost carers lives, they would help their dad around the house and was doing many chores when they should have been playing and spent many nights in with their dad as he found himself too ill on many occasions to take them out. On the times he did manage to get out with them he'd try his best to make sure they were shown a proper childhood all the time being in pain that was slowly grinding him down both physically and mentally but never saying a word to his Kids.

To cut a long and painful story short this became his life. Day in day out, battling one demon with drugs and the other with strength. It was around this time Alistair discovered the hobby of flying model aircraft.

This was like a new lease of life to him and took to the hobby very quickly, he joined Mansfield & District Model Flying Club after being connected by his brother in law Nick Dawson, there they helped nurture his love of planes and taught him how to fly safely so he could enjoy the hobby.

The only problem he had was again the pain, it didn’t cure it and suffered terribly in silence at the club flying field and on many occasions had to return home to his meds to help him cope cutting short his flying time but he NEVER complained. The man’s integrity was nothing short of inspiring.

I used to feel for him every time he left the field, I’d say "awww mate bless you, ok bud go home and get settled and I hope it eases for you soon."

I’ll never get to say those words to him again.

On the morning of the 31st of October 2016 his wife Catherine went to bed to find Alistair had passed away in his sleep, making it just 4 days into his 36th year of life.

We still have no idea why he died. An ongoing investigation to the cause is still so far inconclusive.

Alistair had no life insurance, and was registered disabled, So I have turned to the power of the internet for the first time in my life with the blessing of the family mainly as the family have had many requests of where they can send money to help with the funeral costs which after some enquiries will be around the 4k price tag.
So I thought Go Fund Me would be the best way to make it easy for people to send money to the family to help them through this horrific time.

The BMFA, (British Model Flying Association) Have been outstanding with their support and the close community of model flyers has really shone through and the family and myself are really proud to be a part of such a close knit and supportive structure of good people. We are all blown away by the support shown here.
Our own flying club have also too donated to Alistair’s family which was also a touching gesture. Flying model planes is what Alistair loved to do a close second to being a loving Husband and devoted, caring Dad,

I know it’s close to Christmas and I also appreciate that it’s a hard time for everyone financially but my heart bleeds when I know this year one family in particular will be wanting just one thing for Christmas. I know they wouldn’t want a single gift if they could just have their dad back.

So please if you can spare anything to donate for this beautiful family of our late brother and friend Alistair in their one true hour of need I know this would ease so much for them with the cost of the funeral.

Catherine and her lovely daughters are in a living nightmare, Alistair was far too young to leave them, not to mention the pain of Alistair’s parents who now have to do the one thing a parent is NEVER supposed to do, bury their son. Worse than that they have to raise money to do it and now have to change undertakers as the ones dealing with Alistair’s arrangements does not have a "Payment plan"
I am sorry but I cannot think of a more degrading slap in the face than having to deal with this kind of situation when all the kids want to do is see their dad and struggle to come to terms with why their dad is gone and they have to all of a sudden pay money.
It’s wrong, but it IS life I know. I hope this page can now cast its magic on the nightmare and ease things if only financially.

Thank you for taking the time to read this. On behalf of the family, Catherine, Lorna, Ella, Emily and Isabella and from the bottom of my heart, I thank you.

R.I.P Alistair Sykes 1980 - 2016