Mark bravely tried to save a mother and daughter
The son of a man who tragically died trying to save two others from the North Sea has launched a fundraising appeal in his memory. Mark Ratcliffe, 67, entered the water near Pier Towers, at Withernsea, on Friday, January 2, to help a mother and daughter.
Emergency services were called to Withernsea on Friday afternoon, following reports of people in difficulty in the water. The body of Sarah Keeling, 45, was later recovered from the water while her daughter, Grace Keeling, 15, remains missing.
Mark entered the sea when conditions were atrocious in an attempt to save them. He was later pulled unconscious from the sea and despite efforts at the scene, he also sadly died.
Now his son, Nigel Ratcliffe, has set up a GoFundMe appeal, in memory of his father. The target is £12,000 and the proceeds are for the emergency services that helped Mark.
On the appeal page, titled “Fundraiser for emergency services that helped Mark Ratcliffe”, Nigel said: “As a family we are hoping to raise money towards a donation saying thank you to all the brave volunteers and staff who helped support rescuing my Dad whilst braving the extreme conditions and their own lives.
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“We have been overwhelmed with all the kind messages of love and support during this extremely tragic time. We would like to acknowledge and thank people for their kindness and support.
“It really does not go unnoticed and it does offer some solace to know others are aware of what kind of man my Dad really was. We all love you and miss you YNWA.”
More than 250 people had already donated and the fund stood at more than £4,300, at the time of publishing, less than a day after the appeal went live. One supporter said: “Sending heartfelt condolences to the families of those lost and a million thank yous to everyone who has helped. Surely a fitting memorial should be installed.”