A grieving widow whose husband died three days before Christmas has been left overwhelmed after the generosity of strangers helped her pay for his funeral.

Evelyn Haley, who lives in Codicote, needed to raise £970 to put down a deposit for her husband Mark’s funeral which is being held on Thursday, January 22.

On Saturday the 47-year-old posted on various Facebook groups in Stevenage saying that she was willing to do some ironing to try and raise the money.

The mother-of-two, who has been unable to work since suffering a heart attack two years ago, said she was willing to iron “day and night” to pay for the funeral.

But this wasn’t necessary after people from across the area donated more than £1,200 to pay the bill.

She said: “The response has been unbelievable. I just can’t thank everyone enough.”

Mark’s death came only weeks after his older brother Tony, 40, passed away on November 7.

Both brothers suffered from antitrypsin deficiency – a genetic condition that damages sufferers’ lungs and, in some cases, liver.

Tony’s fiancée Janelle Wall, 26, managed to raise the deposit for his funeral but is now struggling to pay for the remaining £1,000 because she is ineligible for a government grant as they weren’t married.

Evelyn said any money left over from her donations will be passed on to help mother-of-three Janelle meet the cost.

To donate search ‘Support Page for Evelyn Haley’ on Facebook.