Fitting tribute to remember Sam (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

Fitting tribute to remember Sam

Samuel McCulloch's family at the fun day held at the Merlin Inn in tribute to the sailor who was lost at sea. Ref: 78096-37FAMILY and friends have held a memorial party for a man who is lost at sea. Samuel McCulloch, 22, fell overboard from a fishing boat on May 21 and has been missing ever since.

Family and friends gathered at The Merlin pub, Swindon, yesterday to remember him and raise money for his two-year-old son, Kai.

His aunt, Nicky Scott, 35, of Walcot, said people tried to ignore the distress of his disappearance and enjoy themselves.

"It is a fitting thing to do for him," she said.

"It is quite emotional as it brings it all home to you. To hold an event like this gives you high spirits but because of the circumstances you feel low as well."

Her partner, also called Samuel, 39, said the 22-year-old would never be forgotten.

"It still feels raw and everybody is devastated but we are trying to have a good day," he said.

"He was a young lad who lived for life, his family and his little boy.

"You couldn't wish for a better nephew."

Cash raised from the fun day, which included a barbecue, stalls and raffle, will help set up a trust fund for Samuel's son.

The father-of-one fell overboard from a fishing boat 20 miles north of Alderney, which set off from Portland in Dorset.

A team of coastguards launched a major search but his body was not found.

Now police are treating what happened as a missing person incident.

His father, David, 45, of Somerville Road, Walcot, received a call from coastguards on May 21 to say Samuel had fallen overboard but has received no information since.

"It's terrible, absolutely terrible," he said. "Every day we just sit waiting for the phone to ring with some information.

"We really need to know what happened but we are not getting any answers."

Samuel was born in Scotland and served in the Army for eight months then worked as a window fitter before finding work as a fisherman.

He grew up in Wroughton and Park North, attending Ridgeway School.

He went to live in Dorset when his parents separated five years ago.

His half- brothers and sisters, Jaemi-Lea, 16, Thomas, 14, and Charlie, two, live in Swindon.

Ben Payne