Fundraiser for local charity as tributes paid to ‘loving’ Chesterfield dad of seven and well-known taxi driver

Jake Li, 25 and his sister Beth, 23, from Chesterfield are taking on the Tough Mudder challenge this year to raise funds for Ashgate Hospice, which supported their dad in his final months.

Lung Li, who ran Chesterfield-based Halo taxis, passed away at the age of 51 in March after a long battle with cancer. He left behind seven children and his wife Sarah.

Beth said: “The staff at Ashgate were really caring. It was a very difficult time for us as a family. Dad was very loving, friendly, hard-working and family orientated man and we miss him a lot.

“Ashgate gave a lot of support to us all, especially to the youngest children who are seven, 11 and 13. I would like to thank them for looking after my dad and our whole family.”

Beth and Jake plan to take part in Tough Mudder in July. The challenge involves completing an endurance run with obstacles and is usually between 10 and 12 miles long.

Jake said: “We spoke to dad about running the Tough Mudder to support Ashgate before, and he said it sounded like a great idea. It is a challenging run so we've been preparing for the last two months.”

Jake launched the fundraiser on April 1 with a target of £500 – but raised over £1600 in just 10 days.

He said: “It was a surprise that we have raised so much already. It’s really good to see and we hope to raise as much as possible because Ashgate Hospice were amazing at caring for our Dad and our family through this difficult time.

"Thank you in advance for your contribution to this cause, that means so much to us. Any donation, big or small, will be greatly appreciated.”

Lung’s funeral will take place on April 17 at 11.45 am at the Brimington Crematorium and a taxi convoy will leave from Kendal Road, Newbold and drive to the crematorium.

In a statement published online, the family said: “We understand that our father was a popular man, respectfully we are asking for our immediate family to come inside the crematorium first.

“Followed by his close friends and anybody else who knew him and wants to pay their respects, there is an additional room to the left of the crematorium with TV screens to be able to watch the funeral service. There will also be an additional set of speakers and a TV screen on the outside of the crematorium. We would love for anybody who knew him to be there.

“He was a very passionate business man, owning Halo taxis for a number of years. We are asking for a taxi convoy to leave from Kendal Road, Newbold to follow us to the crematorium.”