IT has been “bitter-sweet” for the friends and family of former Shebbear College chaplain Tim Aldridge as they have exceeded their fundraising goal of £40,000 which they hope will help to ease any potential financial burden his young family might face as a result of his terminal cancer diagnosis.

After 18 months of gruelling treatment Tim was sadly diagnosed with terminal cancer. He has been incredibly brave and even now, in the face of such a heart-breaking prognosis, he is not worrying about himself, but his wife Natasha and their three girls, Grace, Hannah and Amelie.

Tim’s friend Lizzie Biggs set up a GoFundMe page, with the support of friends and family, as a way of giving back to this generous and caring man and to help the family navigate their way through the next weeks, months and years. Within the first 24 hours the page raised an incredible £20,000 and that total just keeps on climbing.

Lizzie told the Post: “It has been very hard, bitter-sweet really, as we get excited to see how much money we are raising, then remember we are doing it because our friend is dying.”

Describing her friend Lizzie said: “Tim Aldridge — the kindest, happiest, most infectious believer in Jesus, we could ever hope to meet. If you were having a bad day, two minutes with Tim would sort you out. He has always had time for everyone.

“Well, Tim doesn’t have much left of that precious gift of time. As some of you may know, our beloved Tim has been diagnosed with terminal cancer, after 18 months of gruelling treatment. This shocking and often unbelievable news has left us all devastated. How could this happen to someone as amazing as our Tim? How can life be so unfair? We don’t

have all the answers but we do know that Tim is at peace with God’s plan for him.

“Tim has been incredibly brave and even now, in the face of such a heart-breaking prognosis, he is not worrying about himself, but his beautiful girls. Tim is a man of immense faith and he trusts in the power and love of Jesus. However, he also knows that if he is no longer physically here on Earth, he will not be able to provide financial support to his young family.

“Tim’s calling as a Chaplain, has meant that his wife Natasha could be at home to raise their three gorgeous girls, Grace, Hannah and Amelie. This has been particularly special and important as Hannah’s Autism means she has additional needs that her Mummy has been able to fulfil. However, what it also now means is that without Tim, the family will need help financially, whilst they navigate their way through the next weeks, months and years.”

Lizzie said it is hard to know what to do at a time like this, and they have been overwhelmed by the support the fundraising page has received, with so many people eager to help this caring and generous family in whatever way they can.

She continued: “As a rule, most of us don’t like talking about money. It’s certainly not something that bothered Tim before he was taken ill. He would give you his last penny if he thought it would help you. The Aldridges are not materialistic. They don’t own a big house or a showy car and even if they did, they would trade it all in for more time together. 

“When something catastrophic happens, we all say “let me know if I can help in any way”. Well, now is your chance. The family and friends of Tim and Natasha would like to use this platform to raise money to help the Aldridges get through the next stage of their lives, without the added stress and worry about paying the household bills. Natasha might even be able to take the girls on a much needed holiday. The last few years have taken their toll and they will all need time and space to process what has happened to them. Without Tim, Natasha will also need more help with childcare and transport.

“If you can spare some money to help, that would be amazing. However, we know times are tough right now for many families, so if you can’t donate, please share this page so that it may reach someone who can. In addition to donating and sharing, we all know that Tim would also like you to pray for his family.”

Tim and Natasha are fully aware of the GoFundMe page and have said they are “extremely thankful” for every donation, share and prayer.

Due to the page’s success the goal has since been raised to £50,000 and has already been exceeded.