RESIDENTS have rallied round to raise more than £2,600 to help fund a young man’s funeral after he was tragically found dead in an Irvine park.

Tributes have been paid to 20-year-old Jamie Mcinnes after his body was discovered in Bourtreehill Park on Sunday, February 28, with his employer saying ‘he will never be forgotten’.

A Crowdfunding page set up to help to pay for his funeral has since raised more than £1,600, while the Bourtreehill supermarket where Jamie worked helped raise a further £1,000 from donations in the store.

With such a large amount raised, some of the money will also be donated to Scottish Association for Mental Health (SAMH) and Parkinson's UK.

Employer Imran Ali spoke of his shock on hearing the sad news.

He said: “We’re all absolutely devastated. He worked with us for around four years, he had been working until 10pm just the night before.

“He was quite a quiet boy and a hard worker, all the wages that he earned just went to his mum and wee sisters. He was a really calm, friendly kind of boy who always wanted to help.

“In the four years I never saw him annoyed no matter how the job could be, he would always just do it happily and be helpful. So quite shocked.”

“It’s quite a lot of money that’s been raised in such a short period of time. He was a well-liked boy and everyone knew him from the scheme. People have been donating £20 to £40 a time.”

Jamie’s funeral will be held at 2pm on Wednesday, February 21 at Dreghorn Crematorium, Holmsford Bridge, then at Towerlands Bowling Club.

Anyone who wishes to pay their respects is requested to wear bright colours rather than black.

Police have said there were no suspicious circumstances in his death.