The family of a missing man who drowned off the coast of the Isle of Man have raised £11,400 in his memory.

Jamie Barrow disappeared in late September last year, sparking desperate searches from members of island’s emergency service teams to try and locate him.

Tragically, around 13 days after Jamie was last seen, his body was discovered in the sea off Ramsey by RNLI volunteers.

An inquest into his death later concluded he had died as a result of drowning.

In the wake of his disappearance, Jamie’s mum Valerie Nelson and cousin Fay Lloyd-Howell set up a memorial fundraiser online in a bid to thank those who had tried to find the 39 year-old.

The appeal attracted a flood of donations which have now been handed over to a number of island charities and organisations.

Ms Nelson said her son would’ve been ‘distraught’ to know that the emergency services were looking for him.

She said: ‘Jamie was a very lovely and caring human being.

‘He wanted to save the world, and he was clever, inventive, artistic and full of compassion and empathy for others.

‘He wanted to slip away quietly, so in his name, and with the help of my niece, we wanted to raise some money for all the rescue efforts out there that helped over the two weeks.’

The Norbury Boathouse Fund at Ramsey Lifeboat Station, The Firefighters Charity, Civil Defence Isle of Man, Isle Stand Up To Suicide, Search and Rescue Dogs Association (SARDA), Isle of Man Underwater Search & Recovery Team and Isle Listen have all taken a share of the money raised through the online appeal.

Ms Nelson added: ‘We got such a shock at the final total - after everybody’s donations on the GoFundMe page, we managed to raise £11,400.

‘The number of charities we’re donating to has increased to 15, and Jamie actually had help and volunteered for a number of these.’

Jamie’s cousin, Fay Lloyd-Howell, added: ‘Jamie had struggled with his mental health on and off over many years.

‘He spent several weeks in a mental health institution, but found that he helped his own condition by helping other patients in their recovery.

‘He was well loved by all, and had a tremendous sense of humour, as well as a love of music, chess, quantum mathematics, art and inventing.

‘He always said his own personal goal in life was to love everybody regardless of their lifestyle and to “save the world”.

‘He loved people, but at heart was a lonely soul who could never really get to grips with his illness and it tormented him to the end.

‘We wished to repay the kindness and effort of the various agencies and charities on the island who were so helpful at the time.’