FRIENDS and family have said a heart-wrenching final farewell to Matthew Gill whose disappearance united people across Stourbridge and beyond.

Mr Gill, of Forge Road, Stourbridge, was tragically found dead on November 26 after loved ones and total strangers spent seven-weeks searching for him after he vanished without a trace on October 6.

The 43-year-old, who was known as Liggy and who worked at B&Q at Kidderminster, was found in woodland off Prestwood Drive, Stourton, and an inquest revealed he died from hanging.

Confirmation of his death left relatives heartbroken and shocked the community who had joined in the extensive Find Liggy search in the hope of finding him alive – and he was laid to rest after a poignant funeral service at St Mary’s Church, Brierley Hill, last Wednesday (December 13).

Mr Gill's cousin Louise Flanagan said on the Matt Gill (Liggy) memorial page on Facebook that it was a "very difficult day" but added: "We gave him a good send off. It was so nice to see friends of Matt’s old and new. He was truly loved and will always have a place in our hearts."

Donations in Mr Gill's memory will go to MIND and the West Mercia search and rescue team and they can be made via funeral directors JT Brookes & Co.