Most people have demons, some more than others. Devastatingly on Thursday the 23rd of June my beautiful step sister Tash Pink lost her battle to her demons. The whole family are left utterly heartbroken, shocked, numb and empty.

Tash was 26, she was beautiful, she had the most amazing hair. She was so talented, played the guitar and sang like an angel, and had a heart of gold. She should have had the rest of her life to watch gigs, play crash with her mum and brothers, take her dog on walks to the ice cream van with her grandad, enjoy family BBQ’s, play with her nieces and nephews etc. She had struggled with her mental health for all her adult life. Tash’s mum, Sue, tried for years to get more support for her, she battled to set up meetings to get her daughter extra support but it was never given to her at a good enough standard, on some occasions Tash was even turned away from recieving support from local services. It's true to say that, like so many, she was failed by the system and the very people who should have helped and protected her.

So here we are now, devastated that we have lost her to this cruel illness. Not only are we trying to wrap our heads around how and why Tash left this world and to grieve our loss, but we now have to work out how we are going to provide her with a beautiful send off when no one anticipated this. As Tash was 26, she had no means or plans to save for a funeral. This means that we need to find thousands of pounds for a funeral, so the family also have to deal with this practical dilemma too. Finanical difficulty at this already very stressful and upsetting time is the last thing I want Tash's family to go through. Tash and the rest of her family deserve to have a beautiful send off for her so we can properly start the grieving process and remember the good times we had with her.

I appreciate everyone is struggling at the moment but even a couple of pound from each person would be massively appreciated to help us at this extremely challenging time. Tash's family would be eternally grateful for your generosity, whether this is a last gift from you as Tash’s friends, a family friend, or if you are a kind hearted stranger. Thank you for taking the time out of your day to read our story, Tash's family x