THOUSANDS of pounds have been raised for the husband of Tonga tsunami victim Angela Glover by the tattoo and piercing community.
According to his friend and former colleague Tota Volpe-Landi, James Glover also lost his home and tattoo parlour to the tsunami, which swept through the Pacific Island of Tonga after an undersea volcano erupted earlier in January.
Ms Volpe-Landi ran the Happy Sailor tattoo and piercing shop in Shoreditch, London, with Mr Glover, who she described as a “cool guy” and “fun to be around”, before he moved to Tonga.
She recently organised a fundraiser on GoFundMe, which has so far raised more than £3,000 for her former colleague.
- READ MORE: Body of missing Brighton woman found after Tonga tsunami
Ms Volpe-Landi said: “We are just trying to help out someone that lost his business, his house.
“Most of the people that I recognise from the donations and everything are either tattooists or customers that got tattooed by James for a long time.
“He should know that we will be really happy to help out, emotionally as well, to be around if he needs to talk. I really hope to see him soon.”
The GoFundMe page called on people to help raise £5,000 for Mr Glover, describing his circumstances as “untimely and horrific.”
Ms Volpe-Landi said Mr Glover had mentioned “moving to a paradise” ahead of his move to Tonga after he met Angela.
Angela Glover, from Brighton, died while trying to save her dogs, according to her brother Nick Eleini.
She co-managed the tattoo parlour and ran a dog rescue centre in Tonga's capital Nuku'alofa.
UN humanitarian officials reported that about 84,000 people – 80% of Tonga’s population – have been impacted by the eruption.
The single undersea fibre-optic cable which connects the Pacific nation to the rest of the world was severed after the eruption and tsunami.
“I spoke a little bit to his brother and his mum because I think he actually managed to contact them through the embassy or something for literally a few minutes,” Ms Volpe-Landi said.
“They found three of their dogs alive, which in the catastrophe was maybe a little sparkle of something nice because I know they both loved their dogs.”
For more information on the fundraiser, visit the GoFundMe page.
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