Laurence Dollimore
MORE than €5,000 have been raised to help the family of late British expat Melody Lee.
The ‘leading figure’ of the expat community on the Costa del Sol tragically died from an illness at the end of August.
The GoFundMe page reads: “Our beautiful Melody has recently passed. She was truly a force to be reckoned with and warmed the hearts of all she met.
“She had boundless energy and optimism and buckets of empathy, she would always put other people above herself and now it’s our time to do something for those she loved unconditionally.
“She leaves behind her three treasured and adored sons Fabian, Sebastian and Theo.
“For those who would kindly like to donate all funds will go straight to her boys.”
The target of €5,000 has already been surpassed, with donations still flooding in, bringing the current total to €5,522.
Melody worked with the Arts Club Estepona, where she taught children theatre, art, swing yoga and more.
Tributes flooded in from expats following her passing, with one writing online: “She is a great loss to our community and will be severely missed.”
Another said: “Your kindness, love and joy. Your patience and kindness teaching me swing yoga and ballet as an adult I will never forget. You allowed me to follow my dreams and I am eternally thankful.”
Melody’s husband Robin Van Werven posted a message on the GoFundMe page thanking everyone for their support.
He wrote: “What a turbulent time and how sore it all really feels, is still surreal. But we are all very grateful for the support we have received from all of you.
“Thanks to you, we keep the family going forward in these dark days. Dealing with those difficult times and issues, starts to feel somewhat relieved. It has also shown us we are not as alone as we feel.
“We will stick together, and big mountains will become small hills as we conquer them.
“We trust in Melody, Our Love and all the love that surrounds us, we need to believe that all the pieces will fall into place over time.
“We will try to mirror our lives and ethos in your image… lovely Melody.”
