A fundraising page set up to raise money for the funeral of 17-year-old Jodie Chesney who was murdered in Harold Hill has raised nearly £8,000 in just a few days.
Organised by Romford charity SMILE Essex and London, the page has raised £7,950 since Sunday.
Jodie was stabbed in a park just off St Neot’s Road in Harold Hill on Friday night, and she died in the ambulance on the way to hospital.
Tributes have been paid by friends and family, and large bouquets of flowers have been left at the scene.
Members of the Harold Hill Unleashed Facebook page have also started a campaign to turn the area purple by tying bows and ribbons on trees and lampposts.
The page states: “The whole community are still trying to come to terms with this shocking event.
“As a local charity we want to support the family as much as we can to alleviate the financial stress on this young lady’s funeral.
“We are in contact with the immediate family and have agreed to support them with the cost of the funeral arrangements.
“Once a funeral directors have been chosen we will be writing a cheque to cover the costs.
“We are aware that the local community will want to help with this appeal so as well as making a financial donation towards this from our own account we have set this page up for anyone who wishes to support the family further.”
To donate to the page go to https://www.gofundme.com/vth8tt-funeral-fund
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