Community rallies to bring home much-loved Jersey man who died at Gatwick Airport

riends and regulars at a St Helier bar have come together to raise funds to bring home a well-loved Islander who died suddenly at Gatwick Airport while returning from a holiday in Portugal. Keith Thompson, a familiar face at Prince’s Bar in Havre des Pas, passed away earlier this week while waiting for his flight […]

riends and regulars at a St Helier bar have come together to raise funds to bring home a well-loved Islander who died suddenly at Gatwick Airport while returning from a holiday in Portugal.

Keith Thompson, a familiar face at Prince’s Bar in Havre des Pas, passed away earlier this week while waiting for his flight home after a two-week trip to the Algarve.

Described by those who knew him as “family” and “more than just a regular”, Mr Thompson had lived in Jersey for over 50 years and was a former taxi and coach driver.

A fundraising appeal launched by bar owner Sarah Burns aims to cover the costs of repatriating Mr Thompson and to contribute towards funeral expenses.

Since being set up on Wednesday, the JustGiving page has been flooded with donations and heartfelt tributes, describing Keith as “a kind soul”, “an absolute gentleman”, and “a lovely man”.

Ms Burns said the response had shown the strength of Jersey’s community spirit:

“Everybody just comes together. It blows my mind. It’s so heartfelt and so appreciated.”

Locals at Prince’s Bar raised a glass in his memory on Wednesday evening — at the very time he would usually arrive for his nightly drink.

“He was well loved,” Ms Burns said. “It is a big, big, big loss.”

At the time of publishing, the appeal had raised over £5,000 towards its £7,500 target.

Donations can be made via JustGiving: https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/forourkeith