A FUNDRAISING appeal to support the family of Ellesmere Port murder victim Steven Carey has hit its £2,000 target.

Friends of the popular 31-year-old Everton fan launched a GoFundMe page last month to help towards the costs of his funeral, which takes place today (April 8).

Since then more than 30 individual donations have been made – including one totalling £820 – which has helped them reach their £2,000 target.

The online fundraising page 'A send off for Ste Carey' aims to ease the burden on Mr Carey's devastated family.

Police were called to Pooltown Road, Ellesmere Port, on the night of Saturday, March 14, and found Mr Carey had sustained serious injuries. He was taken to the Countess of Chester Hospital but later died.

Ben Wilkinson, 25, of Waverton Road, Great Sutton, is accused of murdering Mr Carey as well as threatening him with a knife.

Last week Graham Smith, from Ellesmere Port, donated £820 to the appeal which came from a fund set up for his late brother Phil, who was a lifelong friend of Mr Carey's father.

He launched 'Phil's Fight Fund' in December 2018 with the aim of raising enough money for a potentially life-saving operation for his 58-year-old brother who had pancreatic cancer.

Sadly, Phil died in July last year but Graham has been using the fund to donate money to various causes and says his brother would have wanted to help Mr Carey's family.

Launching the appeal last month, friend Katy Jenkins said: "Steven Carey was sadly taken away from us in extremely devastating circumstances.

"This kind hearted and true Evertonian was taken far too soon, he was only 31 years old and hadn't even begun to live his life yet! His family and friends are all broken hearted and will never truly get over the loss of this funny, kind and witty young man.

"We wanted to set this GoFundMe page up to try and help his family out at this extremely sad and hard time for them, to try and ease the stress and pain that they are already going through after losing their youngest son."

Flowers and Everton FC memorabilia are among the many tributes that have been left in his memory after a tree in Regent Street, Ellesmere Port, was turned into a shrine to Mr Carey.