A Heywood family has been left devastated after 16-year-old Harvey Greenhalgh tragically took his own life, and, in a plot twist no less bleak than expected, have had to launch a GoFundMe just to cover the cost of burying him.
Emergency services were called to Lewis Drive on Wednesday evening, with both an ambulance and air ambulance attending. Harvey was taken to hospital but sadly pronounced dead, leaving his family to grieve and simultaneously work out if they could afford a coffin that doesn’t double as flatpack storage.
His cousin Monique launched the fundraiser, which has already gathered more than £3,500 of its £5,000 target. She described Harvey as a “loving, kind and polite” young man who “always loved to help people”, though, in grim irony, Britain’s funeral industry doesn’t accept kindness as legal tender, hence the crowdfunding.
The appeal is to cover “funeral, flowers and stuff they may need,” which in practice means a basic send-off in 2024 Britain: a box, a few carnations, and perhaps a vicar on loan from the JobCentre.
Supporters have rallied, donating generously, though it remains a damning indictment that in the world’s sixth-largest economy, families must essentially pass around a hat on the internet to cover the cost of dying. The government insists this is all part of “Big Society”, although locals have suggested the only thing big about it is the invoice.
“Forever 16,” the family wrote in tribute, words that cut through the grim absurdity of a nation where tragedy is immediately followed by online crowdfunding, as if grief itself now comes with a £5,000 minimum spend.
To donate to Harvey’s fundraiser, or simply to marvel at how Britain now monetises bereavement, visit the appeal page.
