By Ralph Barnett

THE TRAGIC death of a young Czech fruit-picker, whose body was found in a street in Arbroath in the early hours of last Monday morning, prompted a wave of sympathy and horror in the town and that is now being translated into offers of practical help for his grieving family.

The body of Marek Smrs (21), who lived at the Woodley Caravan Park with many of the other seasonal workers from eastern Europe, was discovered by local woman Sue Smith.

The following day, Arbroath teenager Adam Gallagher appeared in the town’s sheriff court charged with his murder.

Sue has since set up an appeal to raise money to help Marek’s parents—who were expected to arrive in Scotland late last night to formally identify his body and make the arrangements for his funeral—and already hundreds of pounds have been donated by locals and visitors alike.

Sue said, “The Marek Appeal Fund has only been running for a few days but already I have been deeply moved by the generosity of the decent people of Arbroath, the local businesses and, it should not be forgotten, the young people from the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland and so on who have also given what they can afford.

“Several of these young men and women—some of whom knew Marek and some of whom had never met him—have been taking a collection bucket around the various places where the seasonal workers are employed, and although they don’t have a lot of spare cash they are all putting in what they can.

“We are very grateful to the organisers of the Sea Front Spectacular who, at the last minute really, let us set up a wee stall in the Victoria Park on Saturday to raise money and I would like to thank everyone who donated on the day.”

Donations to the appeal can be sent to The Marek Appeal Fund, PO Box 15, Arbroath, DD11 1AA or can be made at any branch of the Halifax/ Bank of Scotland by quoting account number 00045023 and sort code 11-45-24.

Arbroath funeral directors George Stewart Ltd have also offered their services free of charge to the family, whether they wish to have Marek laid to rest in Scotland or have his remains repatriated to his native country.

A spokesman said, “We do not know what this young man’s family’s financial position is, but what we do know is that, at a time like this, the last thing they should have to worry about is cost.

“Aside from the unavoidable fees, we would be keen to give whatever help and assistance we can offer to the Smrs family free of charge.”

Local business man Peter Stirling, who employs a large number of young eastern European workers on his farms and at his Abbey Fruits processing plant, also decided to make a substantial contribution to the appeal fund, and yesterday a cheque for £500 was handed over to Sue on the company’s behalf.

A spokeswoman for the company said that, although Marek did not work for the firm, all the management and staff were shocked to hear of the young man’s death.

She added that the seasonal workforce made a vital contribution to the commercial success of the business and that, as a gesture of compassion and gratitude, a donation would be made on behalf of the company.