Tributes have been paid to a much-loved Newark man ahead of fundraising events being launched for his family.

Jamie Anderson, 35, died in a forklift accident while at work at Barcode Warehouse in Newark, leaving an 11-year-old son, and his partner Sami Hughes.

Now his childhood friends ­— Neil Reilly, Scott Moore, Chris Buckley and Paul Costell ­— are raising money for his son.

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From left: Emma Ballard, Dexter Bellamy, 2, Elsie Anderson, 11, Natalie Anderson, Scott Moore, Sarah Anderson, Chris Buckely, Debbie Thompson and Neil Reilly. (14218912)

A family fun day will be held at the White Swan pub, Northgate, Newark, on Saturday, from noon, for the cause.

Jamie’s sister, Natalie Anderson, said he was a wonderful uncle to her three children, Elsie Anderson, 11, Dexter Bellamy, 2, and nine-month-old Violet Bellamy.

She said: “He was brilliant with the kids and you couldn’t wish for a better uncle. He was so laid-back and such a nice bloke.

“What happened to him came as such a shock. We were all really close.”

Jamie’s mother, Sarah, described Jamie as a loveable rogue growing up in Hawtonville, but he had a heart of gold and was loved by everyone.

“It is heartening to see how much he was loved. When we had his funeral the place was packed out. We had lots of people come to my house on the day and there were so many cars outside that followed us behind the hearse.”

Jamie and his group of friends met as teenagers and were close growing up, to the extent that Sarah was also called mum by the others.

Chris said: “We have been in each other’s lives for 20 years, and if any of us were in any trouble, we’d turn to each other. So when he died, it was a huge shock ­— you expect to lose an old member of your family, but not one so young.”

Neil said: “It was a big loss for us all and it’s really hit home. Everyone is devastated.”

Jamie’s friends were talking among themselves after his death and agreed that the one thing Jamie didn’t get around to doing was learning to drive.

So they decided to raise money to set up a trust fund for his son so he can put himself through his driving test when he is old enough, and hopefully have enough to buy his first car as well.

Neil said: “We want to give him the best start in life, and if we can help him to afford to drive that would be great.

The friends are planning to take part in a sponsored skydive at the end of August, which they are paying for themselves so all donations will go to Jamie's son.

Scott said: “I’ve wanted to do something like this for a long time and this seemed like the ideal opportunity.

“Jamie was loved by everyone and when he died we agreed we wanted to do something for his lad. He has been through so much.”

Chris approached Debbie Thompson, landlady of the White Swan pub in Newark, to hold a family fun day at the pub to raise more funds.

The event will be held on Saturday, from noon, and will feature a bouncy castle, a raffle with dozens of prizes donated by local people and businesses, a guess the weight of the cake competition and more.

To find out more, or to make a donation, contact Debbie at the White Swan.

Donations can also be made through a dedicated PayPal account at paypal.me/lottieyoung83