A BLAENAVON man who died suddenly in Spain was laid to rest in his home town cemetery on Friday October 30.

Shane Pearce, 38, passed away while on holiday in Benidorm with his friends on Saturday October 3, and a Go Fund Me page was created in case the insurance would not cover his return to Wales.

Upon confirmation of the insurance, the family of Mr Pearce were able to cover the costs of the funeral and it was decided that the money raised by the Go Fund Me page would be split among his children and two charities – Diabetes UK and the British Heart Foundation.

His mother, Beverley Davies said: “We weren’t sure if the travel insurance would cover the cost of bring him home, but we found out afterwards that it would.

“His family were able to cover the funeral costs and it was decided that the money from the fund should go to his children and charities.”

The fundraising page raised £3,420 through donations, and was set up by Mr Pearce’s friend Ben Shortman, who was on holiday with him at the time.

“I would like to thank everyone who donated to the page and especially to Ben who created it originally,” said Rachel Pearce, the mother of Mr Pearce’s children Ebony, 18, and Riley, 13.

“It is something which we as a family will not be able to fully thank him for, as well as everyone who donated to the page.

“He may have been born in Newport but he was raised up in Blaenavon and it’s a fitting memory to him to have him back where he belongs.”

His daughter Ebony added: “As a family, we are so pleased to have my dad home again.

“It has been a tough and upsetting time but seeing all his family and friends at the funeral showed how loved he was.”

The report into the cause of Mr Pearce’s death remains unknown while the family await the official confirmation from the offices in Alicante.