THE family of a Dorchester father who died suddenly has thanked the community for helping to raise money for his funeral.

Glyn Allen, who passed away in December aged just 47, was described by his family as a ‘gentle giant’ with an ‘infectious laugh’.

Tragically, as Glyn died so young, he did not have life insurance and his family was struggling to pay for his funeral. A JustGiving page was set up and the family has been overwhelmed by the response.

Glyn was well-known in the community and had been involved in different organisations.

A statement from Glyn’s family said: “Thank you so very much to all of Glyn’s many friends and family who attended the funeral, the sheer number of people in attendance bought much comfort to see how loved Glyn was.

“All friends, family and even kind-hearted strangers who gave so generously in aid of the funeral helping to give him a proper send off. To the Trinity Club who held the wake and Boxing Day raffle and all of the many local businesses which donated prizes for the draw, Dorchester Amateur Boxing Club for their kind collection, also thanks to Dr Allen for his help and support and the medical crew who attended, not least thanks to Matt Lucas and staff. A very big thank you.”

One organisation that helped with the funeral expenses was Dorchester Amateur Boxing Club Glyn volunteered and helped out at.

Club manager Ben Geyser said: “We are all remembering Glyn, and praying for all the heartbroken members of his family. Glyn was a staunch, respected and irreplaceable member of the club and will always be remembered for his strong moral attitude and principles towards fair play. honesty and anti-bullying. These were wonderful traits that the boxers all saw, copied and took on board.

“On hearing about Glyn, the boxers organised and eagerly contributed most of their pocket towards this collection.”

Glyn’s niece Claire said: “Glyn went to Dorchester Amateur Boxing Club with his son, Tommy. It gave him a great sense of pride and purpose to see Tommy enjoying himself so much. Also having the chance to help the boxing club by qualifying as a boxing judge there helped him immensely to focus on helping out there whenever he could.”