An appeal set up by MH17 victim Richard Mayne has raised £14,556 for children’s charity Kidasha.

The JustGiving page, set up by the 20-year-old student for a Leeds RAG expedition to Everest in March, attracted over eight hundred donations, with a surge in support after his tragic death.

Richard was one of 298 passengers on Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 who died in the plane crash last Thursday. He studied Maths and Finance at the University.

One anonymous donor posted: “My deepest sympathy goes to your family. The world needs more people like you”.

Richard’s family took the decision to stop accepting donations on his behalf on Sunday.

In a post to the site, Richard’s parents wrote: “We have been overwhelmed by the consoling sentiments and messages left by our donors. Our heartfelt thanks go out to you all”.

Mr and Mrs Mayne said they hoped people would donate to local charity, Leicestershire Parents’ Support Group of Diabetes UK, which supported Richard after he was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of eight:

“Richard’s zest for life was encouraged and made possible by Camp Charnwood (run by the charity). These camps, over the years, gave Richard and many other young people with diabetes the confidence to recognise that independent, international travel and adventure activities were as open to them as anyone”.

A statement from Kidasha paid tribute to Richard as “a wonderful young man” and offered condolences to his family, friends and others who lost loved ones in the disaster.

The University’s counselling service is offering support to students affected.

Find out more about Leicestershire Parents’ Support Group of Diabetes UK here.

Charlotte Mason