'He was taken far too soon': Stepdaughter makes emotional tribute to taxi driver who died after collapsing at home

Kayleigh Booth, from Layton, was left devastated when her stepfather Andrew England, who worked as a taxi driver, was found unconscious in his living room the morning after coming

home from a night shift.

Although relatives attempted CPR, the 51-year-old was pronounced dead at the scene.

Andrew, who had a family history of heart disease, left behind wife Susan, who he had been married to for 11 years, their son Oliver and his two step-children – Kayleigh and Sam.

Kayleigh, 30, said: “Andrew was a real father figure to me and Sam and treated us like his own children.

“He was just always there for us. He taught me to drive and was always so patient.

“He’d always be on the end of the phone if I needed help.

“When I moved into my own place he helped me build furniture, and he would fix everything for me.

“Losing him was very upsetting and sudden for our family. He was sadly taken far too soon and is sorely missed by us all.”

Andrew was a member of the Northwest Donkers fishing club and a huge Blackpool FC supporter.

This year marked five years since Andrew’s death, and Kayleigh – who is currently furloughed from Ribby Hall Village in Wrea Green, and now working for the NHS Covid-19 vaccination

call centre – decided to take on a challenge in his memory.

She chose to run 51 miles over January – to represent each year of Andrew’s life – in aid of the British Heart Foundation (BHF).

Kayleigh completed the challenge on January 25 – five years to the day since Andrew’s death.

She has so far raised around £650.

Kayleigh added: “I originally took up the couch to 5K as I wanted to get into running, and after doing that, I decided that I’d push myself even further.

“I would get myself up first thing in the morning and force myself out each day, even when it was icy and freezing, and do some of the runs around Stanley Park.

“Whilst in lockdown, I felt it gave me a real purpose and I felt my health improve, too.

“I was relieved to complete it, but I’m also very proud to know that the money I’ve raised will help fund the BHF’s vital research.”

The BHF funds research into all heart and circulatory diseases, including heart disease, stroke and vascular dementia, and their risk factors such as high blood pressure.

In the North West of England, around 930,000 people are living with heart and circulatory diseases – and someone in the region dies from one of these conditions every 25 minutes.”

Emma Dickinson, BHF’s Fundraising Manager, said: “We are so grateful to Kayleigh for taking on this very personal challenge to help raise funds for the BHF’s ground-breaking research.

“We can only fund research because of the generous donations of our supporters like Kayleigh.

“In addition to the devastating health impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, the financial impact has meant our funding for new research has halved this year alone, so the support of the public

has never been more needed.”

To donate to Kayleigh’s fundraising challenge, visit https://www.justgiving.com/kayleigh-booth2

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