A MAN who took his own life will be gifted with ‘the send off he so deserves’ thanks to friends and strangers who funded his funeral.

The family of Neil Barnacle, who grew up in Abingdon, appealed for help after struggling to meet the cost of his funeral.

His friends in the town were among those who crowdfunded more than £2,700 to help his loved ones say goodbye at South Oxford Crematorium.

Mr Barnacle’s sister Alexandra Hugginson said: “There were no funds to pay for it but this pretty much covered the cost. We want to thank everyone.”

Her 49-year-old brother was found in his home in London at the end of January after struggling to cope with the deaths of their parents years earlier.

She said Mr Barnacle was unemployed at the time but had previously worked at a cyber security firm, adding: “He was very intelligent, he knew all about quantum physics and astrophysics. He was very sarcastic but extremely caring.”

The 42-year-old Staffordshire resident set up a Go Fund Me webpage for the funeral, which encouraged people to ‘contribute towards giving Neil the send off he so deserves’.

It was shared on social media almost 200 times, gathering cash from loved ones as well as anonymous donors who may not have known him.

Mrs Hugginson said she organised the funeral near Abingdon as it was where her brother spent most of his life and ‘where his true friends are’.

Mr Barnacle grew up in Longfellow Drive in the town and went to John Mason School.

He was a well-known regular at The Kings Head and Bell pub where his wake will be held, following the funeral tomorrow.