Nicola Bulley fundraiser smashes through £20,000 in donations in just two days
23 February 2023, 13:39 | Updated: 23 February 2023, 14:37
A fundraiser set up in the memory of mother-of-two Nicola Bulley has raised over its £20,000 goal in donations after just two days.
The GoFundMe was set up to support deceased Nicola's family after she was confirmed dead on Monday after 23 days being missing.
The funds are intended to help the family, including her widower Paul Ansell, pay for funeral costs.
In response to the support, the Ansell family wrote: "We are so grateful for all of the support the fundraiser has received thus far. Nikki was the most amazing person and has clearly impacted so many people.
"We are increasing the goal so that we can help the girls and Paul as much as possible.
"Thank you all again."
The search for the then-missing mother captured public attention and led to amateur TikTok sleuths attempting to find her near the River Wyre in Lancashire, where she was found on Sunday.
The milestone comes as the Independent Office for Police Conduct launched an investigation into a welfare check on Nicola carried out by Lancashire Police on January 10, days before she was last seen, the watchdog said.
A spokesperson said: "Following a referral by Lancashire Constabulary on Thursday, we have started an independent investigation regarding contact the force had with Nicola Bulley on January 10, 2023.
"We were notified by the force that an officer attended the family home on that date as part of a welfare check. Our thoughts are with Ms Bulley’s family and friends, and all of those affected by her death. Our investigation is in its very early stages
"And Lancashire’s Police and Crime Commissioner Andrew Snowden further revealed he had asked the College of Policing to carry out a “full, independent review” into the handling of the Nicola Bulley case.
The opening of her inquest at Lancashire Coroner's Court heard the mother-of-two was identified by dental records after lying undiscovered in a river for 23 days.
Police confirmed on Monday that the body found in the river near St Michael’s on Wyre in Lancashire was the missing mother-of-two.
Nicola, 45, had been missing for more than three weeks with a major search operation launched for her.Her body was discovered in reeds in a stretch of river that had already been searched by police.
She was found by two dog walkers.
You can donate to the GoFundMe here.
