Community Raises £21,250 to Repatriate Derby Malayali Jeese Jose’s Body to Kerala
Friends and well-wishers of Derby-based Malayali Jeese Jose, who passed away unexpectedly during a trip to Paris, are hopeful that his mortal remains will be brought back to Kerala by the end of this month after funeral directors in Paris officially took charge of the body.
A massive fundraising effort led by Malayali community organisations and readers across the UK helped collect £21,250 to support the repatriation process and assist the bereaved family.
The appeal turned into a major success after members of Derby Angamaly Sangamam, UK Kidangoor Sangamam, and Angamaly Sallapam joined hands for the cause.
Derby Angamaly Sangamam contributed £3,000
UK Kidangoor expatriate members raised £2,105
Angamaly Sallapam members collected £1,810.
In addition, nearly 500 readers and supporters participated in the fundraising campaign.
As transporting the body from France to India involved significant expenses, Derby Malayali Association approached the British Malayali Charity Foundation for assistance and subsequently launched a public appeal for support.
The fundraising initiative was jointly coordinated by British Malayali, Derby Malayali Association (DMA), Leicester Kerala Community (LKC), and Leicester Malayalis.
Through the British Malayali Charity appeal’s KindLink platform, £18,219 was raised, while another £330 came directly through bank transfers. The final amount also included £3,325 in Gift Aid and £13 from the general fund, taking the total collection to £21,250, which will be handed over to Jeese’s family.
Jeese Jose’s body, currently kept at a mortuary in Paris, has now been handed over to funeral directors. Friends and organisers said that once all paperwork and official procedures are completed, the body is expected to be transported to Kerala by the end of this month.
Jeese had been living in the UK for around five years with his family. He is survived by his wife, Joycy Sebastian, who is currently pregnant with their third child, and their two children aged 12 and 2.
The family had arrived in the UK on a care visa and had been working hard to establish themselves financially. Joycy had only recently secured a job as a nurse at a nursing home, following which the family moved from Leicester to Derby.
Originally from the Kunnappilly family in Kidangoor near Angamaly, Jeese Jose was working as a facilitator at Leicester Hospital at the time of his death.