A PONTYPOOL woman who set up a crowdfunding page to help with funeral costs after her father suffered a cardiac arrest on Christmas Day has been "overwhelmed" by the outpouring of support she has received - with her fundraising total having nearly tripled in 24 hours.

Aishe Karagulle, 23, never expected to have to set up an online fundraising page to pay for a funeral but says that she cannot believe the response she has been given.

"I'd like to say thank you to every single person who has taken the time to share and donate," she said.

"I can't believe the amount of people who have come together as a community and I've had so many lovely messages.

"It just goes to show that people will come together in a time of need."

South Wales Argus:

(Aishe Karagulle)

Ms Karagulle's father Temucin died suddenly on Christmas Day and despite the best efforts of the emergency services he could not be saved. He was 51 years old.

The unexpected nature of Mr Karagulle's death meant his daughter was left having to cover the funeral costs at short notice.

She said that, because she is currently in full-time employment, she is not entitled to any government help to assist with the costs of the funeral.

She described how she feels "absolutely heartbroken" at the loss of her father - who was originally from Turkey and that she was unable to grieve for him properly due to the worry and stress of having to find the money to give him a fitting send-off.

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"The only money that I have paid for the deposit for the funeral," she said.

"I need to find another £3,000 to pay the rest."

Since the Argus reported on Ms Karagulle's plea for help to cover the costs of laying her father to rest, her page on crowdfunding website GoFundMe has been inundated with donations. It has reached a total - at time of writing - of £2,339.

Despite her gratitude for the generosity shown to her by members of the public, Ms Karagulle has stressed that it is not only about her story. She wants to make sure that help is out there for other people in her position.

South Wales Argus:

(Temucin Karagulle and his daughter Aishe)

"I have seen people saying that I should get a loan or about life insurance and that's fine," she said.

"However, I am looking to support other people with the stress of things like funeral costs.

"I am going to hopefully start a charity to help with this and I hope that, with the help of my MP, I might be able to change the system to make it easier for people in this situation to get support."

To help Ms Karagulle to reach her fundraising target of £3,000 for her father's funeral, visit gofundme.com/f/jsa5n-funeral-for-my-father