Family man and cricket fanatic Jaya Fernando, a 56-year-old father of three, was playing his first match for Bishop’s Stortford this summer when he was taken ill on Sunday September 1.

Sri Lankan-born Jaya did not smoke, barely drank, had never been overweight and led an active life. He died in a specialist cardiac unit 12 days later, three days after marking his 21st wedding anniversary with wife Maria with a kiss from his hospital bed.

His last contact with his 14-year-old son, Krishan, was a thumbs-up in A&E on the day he fell ill after Krishan had excitedly messaged his dad to say he had scored a half-century.

And Jaya never got to see his daughter Amaya, 11, in her new school uniform as she started at Hockerill Anglo-European College.

Now wife Maria faces having to sell the family home as self-employed Jaya, who worked in security at Stansted Airport and as a cricket coach, had no life insurance – and it was only his name on the mortgage.

So the Indie has set up this appeal to cover the £4,500 cost of the funeral.

Maria and their children have been left devastated. Please help us to help them stave off destitution too. Thank you

Paul Winspear

Editor

Bishop's Stortford