Grieving family fear eviction

A HEARTBROKEN father-of-two said he had been left “devastated” by the unexpected death of his beloved partner and “best friend”.

Daniel Asquith-Jepson’s partner Jess Lucy Hatton (27) died suddenly and unexpectedly on September 11.

“Our lives have changed forever since the loss of our beloved Jess,” added Daniel.

“I’ve not only lost my partner, but my best friend, who had her whole life in front of her and was a large part of our lives.

“Jess dedicated her life to her children and to helping anyone that needed it and has touched so many peoples’ lives.

“She really did have a heart of gold and we are absolutely devastated and heartbroken.”

Unable to meet the high costs of a funeral for Jess, Daniel has set up a GoFundMe page to help cover the costs.

“We want to give Jess the funeral she really deserves, to honour her memory and to say our final goodbyes,” Daniel added.

“We are seeking donations to help with funeral costs and to set up a trust fund for the boys with anything left over.

“So many people have already been so kind and I cannot thank them enough.”

With a fundraising target of £1,000, funds raised to date have already topped £600.

Daniel and his sons, seven-year-old Liam and six-year-old Daniel, faced further strife as it seemed they could be homeless a day after Miss Hatton’s funeral, which is planned for next Thursday.

The Advertiser reported in August how the family had been served an eviction notice for their privately-rented home in Brampton Bierlow earlier this year.

But the family has since told their landlord of their recent bereavement and hope they may receive more time to get sorted.

Daniel had been struggling to find other privately-rented accommodation and contacted the council in April to be put on the housing list — but at the time said he felt discriminated against for having a disability because the council hadn’t been able to find a home suitable for his needs.

The 31-year-old grew with up perthes disease, a condition which affects the hip joint, and still struggles with severe hip pain as an adult — affecting his ability to walk and needs to use a wheelchair.

However, Rotherham Council’s acting assistant director of housing, Paul Walsh, said should the family become homeless, all appropriate support would be provided, including provision of suitable, temporary accomodation.

He added: “The council is continuing to work with Mr Asquith-Jepson and his family.

“A property has been identified and our specialists are already booked in to assess its suitability to meet the family’s needs in the long term.”

Visit https://tinyurl.com/JessHatton to make a donation towards the funeral costs.