ORGANISERS of the hugely successful fundraising campaign in memory of Kyrece Francis say they are confident they can break the £15,000 mark - more than seven times the original target.

Donations have continued to pour in since the teenager’s friends launched the fund in the days following his death last month, to prevent future tragedies on the river.

And with pledges still to come in from collections by shops and businesses, coordinator Rachel Rowley says everyone has been staggered by the community response.

Rachel, an aunt of one of Kyrece’s close friends, said: “It’s going great and it was pretty amazing when we saw we’d smashed the 11k mark. We were all together and saw the total and it was just an ‘oh my God’ moment.

“There are companies that have said they are willing to sponsor us which is very nice and we’ve now set up a committee for the charity.

“We are waiting for go ahead to confirm our charity number but at the moment that is still going through.

“But lots of other places have raised money but can’t release it until we have registered the charity so we know the total is much higher. I think we can confidently say it is going to be over 15,000.”

Hundreds turned out for Kyrece’s funeral on Saturday, with a procession on foot stretching the length of Marlow High Street.

Rachel said work is currently underway towards providing life jackets, buoys, awareness signs and other safety measures on the Thames Path where Kyrece tragically lost his life on July 22.

The group are in the process of seeking permissions and once the charity commission has officially recognised the fund, the next stage of the process can begin.

Recent pledges to the Kyrece Memorial Fund include £800 from Marks and Spencer in the Eden Centre where Kyrece’s grandmother works. 

And the Wycombe & South Bucks Minor Football League have donated £250 to the cause of the football-mad youngster, who won ‘most improved player’ for Downley Dynamos under 14s this season.

The Just Giving Page is still open for donations www.justgiving.com/yimby/KF22#