"We just want to help as many families as we can"

The parents of a man who died in a tragic accident abroad are helping other families bring the bodies of their loved ones home.

The Kevin Bell Repatriation Fund was established last year by Colin and Eithne Bell from Newry, shortly after their son died in a hit-and-run in New York last June.

The charity offers financial assistance to anyone from Ireland repatriating a family member who has died abroad in sudden circumstances.

Kevin (26) was very popular in his locality and his friends immediately began fundraising for his repatriation, which can cost from €6,000 to €7,000.

“We found out on a Sunday and by Tuesday there was a pub quiz held in the Canal Court hotel to raise funds to bring him home. Almost €50,000 was raised that night,” says Colin.

“On the following Thursday there was a fun run which raised €18,000. More fundraisers followed and in the space of a few weeks we had over €100,000.”

However, Armagh GAA in New York, which Kevin was a part of, as well as his former colleagues, had already raised the money to bring him home.

“We had this amazing amount of money and the only thing we could do is keep Kevin’s memory alive,” says Colin.

“So far we have funded 16 people to come home in the space of eight months. We knew that Kevin wasn’t going to be the last person to die abroad, especially with so many young people from Ireland living overseas.

“Some of the families we have helped will fundraise for us but they are not obliged to. We’re grateful for any donations we can get. We just want to help as many families as we can.”

To access the fund, email damianruddy@yahoo.co.uk or cbell977@hotmail.com.

Anyone who wants to donate to the Kevin Bell Repatriation Fund can do so by lodging money to the charity’s First Trust bank account.