Pilot’s family in bid to recover his body
MORE than £148,000 has been raised in just two days to try and recover the body of pilot David Ibbotson, as hundreds of members of the public are getting behind the fundraiser.
Mr Ibbotson was at the controls of the plane carrying footballer Emiliano Sala, which was lost off Alderney three weeks ago. The plane was discovered last weekend and Sala’s body was recovered from the wreck. However, Mr Ibbotson has still not been found.
His family have now set up the Gofundme page in a bid to raise £300,000.
They state they wanted to bring him home so they could give him the send-off he deserved.
‘As a family we are relying on the kindness of the good hearted people to help us raise the much needed funds to help us find our beloved dad, husband and son,’ they said on the fundraising page.
‘As a family we are trying to come to terms with the tragedy and the loss of two incredible men. To be told the search has now been called off for the foreseeable future has only made this tragic time more difficult.
‘We can not bear the thought of him being alone, we need him home so that we are able to lay him to rest.’
Attempts to continue checking the crash scene were abandoned last Wednesday as weather conditions deteriorated.
The donations so far are largely made up of smaller amounts, often of £5 or £10. However, an Elie Lottin donated £27,000 to the cause. When clicking on the name, it links to a page under the name of Kylian Mbappe – a French footballer who plays for Paris St-Germain.
Former footballer Gary Lineker has also donated £1,000 to the appeal.
To support the fundraising visit www.gofundme.com/f/david-ibbotson-please-help-bring-him-home.
