A FUNERAL is to take place tomorrow - paid for by kind-hearted residents of a town after a resident died penniless and with no family to arrange his send-off.

Andrew Shield, 38, died recently of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. He had been a well-known and well-like character around Northallerton’s pubs and elsewhere in the town.

But his mother, who worked at the town’s library, died when he was seven followed two years later by his father. He was sent to live with his grandmother, who passed away while he was at secondary school.

When one of his former school friends, Sarah Widdowson, discovered there was no-one to organise a dignified farewell for him she set about organising one with another friend, Mark Walker.

Ms Widdowson set up a JustGiving page to pay for the funeral and within 72 hours more than £2,000 was raised.

She is now hoping they will manage to raise the remainder of the money needed to pay for a headstone.

The funeral takes place at All Saints Church in Saint’s Church, Northallerton at 12.15pm tomorrow (Friday, July 3). A funeral procession will make its way from the Applegarth roundabout to the church from 12 noon and people are invited to line the route for the brief funeral procession.

“If anyone could line that little bit of street it would be great,” said Ms Widdowson.

“It’s not very much; even if 20 people could make it that would be great - just to make his last day on earth something a little bit special.”