A FUNDRAISER has been set up to help pay for the funeral of a "beautiful" and "wonderful" son and brother who fell from a ferry near Liverpool. 

Peter Foden, of Rhyl, was found in the sea by search teams 10 miles from Crosby on the morning of January 20. An inquest, into the opening of his death at  Ruthin County Hall on Monday, January 29, heard that Peter had fell from a ferry near Liverpool. 

Peter, 44, was son to Margaret, a brother to Ian and uncle to Kyveli and Dylan.

He was a former crown green bowler for East Parade, Sea Bank Rhyl, and a current player for Dyserth.

Growing up, Ian said Peter was a "happy go lucky kid", had a "big infectious smile" and was the "life and soul of a party."

A statement on the gofundme page, by Ian, said: "Through his school years and in to his teens, he was a loveable cheeky character. He loved his dogs, especially Shadow and Buster, loved computers and playing the guitar with our late step father Gordon.

"Pete's main interest and hobby in life was his art, he loved to draw and sketch and built quite the portfolio of portraits, tattoo art and comic art. Art really was his passion, he was always learning new techniques and ways to express himself with his pencils, always shading away and would have loved this to have somehow become a full time job."

Ian said that Peter became withdrawn in his mid to late 20s. He went through difficult periods with relationships, jobs and struggles with his mental health. 

Ian said: "He had a successful operation to remove a cyst but the operation itself was quite intrusive to the brain and this left Pete in later life suffering from depression, paranoia and struggling to understand his place in the world."

Peter's family helped him as best as they could.

Ian said: "As a family we always helped him, encouraged him, advised where we could and tried to get help for him through Mind and local organisations."

Peter moved to the South Coast in 2015 to be nearer his brother but as his mental health deteriorated, he later moved back to Rhyl to be closer to his mum.

Earlier in January, Peter was reported missing. 

Ian said: "Out of the blue on Friday, January 19, mum received a call to say that he had been found in Belfast and was well. We will never know why he was there, all we know is the authorities contacted mum. She paid for his ticket and they were sending him back home on the ferry from Belfast to the UK.

"Mum headed to the docks to meet him on the morning of Saturday, January 20 2024, but he never came home.

"It breaks my heart to not understand how he was feeling.

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"We will be forever grateful to the lifeboat crews and the coastguard for bringing Pete home that day and for doing their best for him."

Friend of the family Jennie Taylor described Peter as "beautiful" and "wonderful". 

"Peter leaves such a huge void in the lives of his family and friends. Its come as a huge shock and they are struggling to pay for Peter's funeral."

"I am totally heartbroken. He was a wonderful artist, musician, a keen crown green bowler and supporter of the RNLI."

Anyone willing to donate, to give Peter the "send off he deserves", is asked to donate via the fundraiser. The family are hoping to raise £3,500.

Click the link above or head to https://www.gofundme.com/f/peter-christopher-foden

Donations are being given in lieu of flowers. Anything over, after paying for the funeral, will go to the RNLI and local arts and youth projects.

Peter's funeral will be held on February 20 at 1pm at St Asaph Crematorium.