MEMBERS of the Chester public are being urged to help a family whose "beloved nana" passed away suddenly while on holiday.

Christine Bird, 71, was on holiday in Spain with her daughter on Monday, April 29 when she suffered a heart attack and, following two serious operations, she sadly suffered a second heart attack and passed away.

Grand-daughter Charlotte Terry, of Chester, writing on the Justgiving page set up to help raise funds, said: "My mum has now been left with the cost for the extra stay and to bring my nana home where she should be, to give my family the chance to say goodbye which we didn’t get due to the sudden unexpected death.

"My nana was the matriarch of the family she was a pillar we all leant on particularly my mum who, herself has been through a tough time in her life, this is our last chance to celebrate my nana's life and we would love to be able to do this all together as a family at home where she built her life with many family and friends."

Family friend Samantha Jones, also from Chester, said Christine, who lived in Winsford, had EU health insurance which covered the cost of surgery, but did not have travel insurance.

Samantha and a group of friends are now planning to complete the Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge on Sunday, May 12 to raise funds which will go towards the £5,000 required to 'bring nana home'.

She explained: "Me and my friends are going to be completing (or attempting to do) the Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge in order to raise money, and I hate cardio and mountains. Please donate if you are able to.

"We all have or have had a nana and would want the chance to say goodbye.

"Please help this family to have this, even if you are a complete stranger the world changes one good deed and one small corner at a time.

"This could easily have been any of us and I hope any of us would receive help and support."

Samantha added the fundraising group will tackle the Three Peaks Challenge while wearing T-shirts with a photo of Christine on them, while spreading wildflower seeds along the way in her memory, as an alternative to potentially environmentally damaging balloons or lanterns.

  • People can donate on the Justgiving page at www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/bringnanabirdhome.