THE best friend of a man found dead at a country park is appealing for the public's support to raise thousands of pounds to give his pal the “best possible send off”.

Jake De Freitas, 31 is already three quarters of the way to his target of raising £4,000 for the family of Benjamin Andreas.

Mr Andreas, a 31-year-old from Southend, was tragically discovered dead in Hadleigh Country Park on Thursday, July 28 – just days after he was reported missing.

Now Jake has launched an online fundraising page in the hope he can help cover some of the cost of Mr Andreas’s funeral and provide support for his friend’s heartbroken family.

He said: “It is extremely important to give Benjamin the best send off possible as he was only my best friend, but he touched the lives of so many people through his art and his energy for life.

“So many people have amazing memories of him, and we all miss him dearly.

“I wanted to set this up to support his family with the cost of the funeral.

“They already have plenty going on without having to worry about where the money is going to come from after this unimaginable tragedy.

“It will all be going towards the funeral costs to give him the best send off as he passed away at such a young age.

“Any excess money left will then go towards other young artists who might be struggling and need some support.”

Mr Andreas grew up in Southend, and attended Porters Grange Primary School, before studying at Southend High School for Boys.

He then went on to go to Slade School of Fine Art in London, known as the UK’s leading art and design educational institution.

After his studies, he became a full-time artist and enjoyed painting beaches in Southend, as well as part of Hadleigh Country Park.

In an emotional tribute to his friend, Jake said: “Benjamin was one of a kind.

“There was nobody else like him, he was truly unique and truly gifted.

“He is an amazing person who was really, really special to everyone whose path he crossed.

“A very loyal friend, who would do anything for anyone.”

To donate to the GoFundMe, visit https://bit.ly/3zRIdlB