Friends of a father-of-four who died in a car crash have rallied to help buy his children presents for Christmas.

Eastern Daily Press: Flowers have been left at the scene of the crash on at A1075 near Thetford. Picture: Sonya DuncanFlowers have been left at the scene of the crash on at A1075 near Thetford. Picture: Sonya Duncan (Image: ARCHANT EASTERN DAILY PRESS (01603) 772434)

Terry Cooper, 30, died on November 19 when his car was involved in a head-on collision on the A1075 north-east of the junction with the A11, near Thetford.

Mikey Saul was friends with Mr Cooper, who lived in Dereham but grew up in Thetford, and his brother Craig.

He said he decided to start a fundraising page to help buy the presents for Mr Cooper's young children as he 'spoilt them at this time of year'.

'Personally I lost my dad when I was young and I thought it would be nice to try and put a smile on their face during these tough times,' said Mr Saul, who lives in Thetford.

Within a day of the page being set up £1,500 was donated and Mr Saul had to move the fundraising target from £1,000 to £5,000.

Originally the 33-year-old had hoped to buy the children a few presents each but is now looking into a weekend trip away.

He has also praised the generosity of the people of Thetford - where Mr Cooper was a former Rosemary Musker High School student - and further afield.

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'We are getting donations all the time and it is fantastic,' he said. 'Some people have given £500, it is absolutely mad.

'Thetford gets knocked quite a bit but when things like this happen it just shows we have a really good community. It is great that positive things are coming out of Thetford.'

Mr Saul described Mr Cooper as a 'fantastic' and quiet man.

He added: 'He was genuinely a nice and gentle guy. He was a lovely guy and he is going to be sorely missed.'

Another tribute from friends of Mr Cooper said: 'Thank you for all that you have done for each and every one of us. You had a true heart of gold and were always happy to go out of your way to do anything for anyone.

'We are cherishing every memory we have with you, and holding dearly onto the photos and videos we all shared together.

'Forever in our hearts Terry Tibbs, your J4, Ems, Ginge, Doy, Smithy, AK, Georgie Porgie, Little Jess and Denni.'

Catherine Wells, who works at the Dereham barbers which Mr Cooper attended, said: 'I can not begin to say how sad I am to hear such awful news.

'Terry was so happy and full of life, always a tale to tell and always made us laugh.

'We will miss his happy smiley face popping in for a trim up. Our prayers and thoughts are with his family at this extremely sad time.'

To donate money to buy Mr Cooper's children presents visit the Go Fund Me page.