Poignant farewell in Chichester to Sophie Chandler

By The Newsroom
Published 21st Nov 2013, 07:00 BST
Updated 7th Jun 2018, 20:43 BST
Sophie Chandler with X Factor winner James Arthur, taken in 2013Sophie Chandler with X Factor winner James Arthur, taken in 2013
Sophie Chandler with X Factor winner James Arthur, taken in 2013

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EMOTIONAL friends and family gathered at Chichester Crematorium on Monday to say farewell to a girl with a '˜heart of gold'.

Sophie Chandler, 21, passed away from leukaemia on November 1, and the past few weeks have seen a fundraising appeal to raise the £3,000 for her funeral.

The bride-to-be was set to marry her fiance Jason Mariner at St Richard’s Hospital, in Chichester, on the day she passed away.

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Jason and Sophie’s older brother Richard Chandler were two of the pallbearers.

Family friend Debbie Rawlinson said Richard would have given Sophie away at her wedding and the pair carried the coffin as a last chance to say farewell.

On behalf of Sophie’s mother Sylvia, Debbie thanked everyone who contributed to the appeal.

“We couldn’t have done it without everyone’s kind help.”

An online fundraising page received a number of donations with one generous person donating anonymously £100.

Debbie gave a reading at the service on Monday.

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