An outpouring of support has seen donations to the family of three-year-old Noah Woods approach £80,000 after the little boy was found dead in a Suffolk pond following a huge search involving around 1,300 members of the public.
Noah, who was non-verbal, partially deaf and awaiting an autism assessment, disappeared on Tuesday afternoon after becoming separated from a relative during a visit to a playground in Brantham.
He was last seen around 2.37pm after running down an alleyway beside the playground and towards a nearby new-build housing estate and Decoy Pond. Police, specialist search teams and hundreds of volunteers spent more than a day searching the area before Metropolitan Police divers recovered a child’s body from the pond on Wednesday afternoon.
Suffolk Constabulary later formally identified the body as Noah Woods. His death is not being treated as suspicious, although police said there are still enquiries to complete before a file is submitted to the coroner.
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The disappearance of Noah, who headed down an alleyway leading towards woodland and a large pond on Tuesday, sparked a huge search involving hundreds of volunteers, police, Coastguards and firefighters
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Noah (pictured with his mother Charlie Peck), who was non-verbal and partially deaf, and awaiting an autism assessment, was found in Decoy Pond in the village of Brantham, Suffolk
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Now a fundraiser launched by the Good Dads Club – a club set up for fathers in nearby Essex to meet one another with their children – to help Noah’s family has exceeded £78,000
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A fundraiser for Noah’s family (Pictured: Mother Charlie Peck) has raised almost £80,000
Thousands unite to help Noah’s family
In the aftermath of the tragedy, the Good Dads Club, a group founded for fathers in nearby Essex to meet and spend time with their children, launched a fundraiser to support Noah’s family.
The appeal has now passed £78,000, with donations coming from people touched by the little boy’s story and the extraordinary community effort to find him.
The organisers said the money would help the family with everyday expenses and allow them to take time away from work to grieve without the additional burden of financial pressure.
“While no amount of money can undo these life altering events,” the organisers said, every contribution would go towards helping Noah’s family manage bills and take the time they need to mourn their son.
They added that they had originally expected to raise a modest sum, but were overwhelmed by the response from thousands of people who wanted to help.
The Good Dads Club said Noah’s parents had now been told about the fundraiser and were “incredibly grateful for everyone’s generosity”.
The organisers stressed that the campaign was not about the group itself, but about the community that came together during the search and the financial support now being offered to Noah’s family.
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Noah’s father, Rhys Woods, paid tribute to him as ‘the sweetest and most innocent boy, with nothing but love to give’
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The play area was beside a path that led down to Decoy Pond, where police found a body yesterday
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The pond is just 250 yards from where Noah was last seen by a relative
Noah’s father: ‘We are all absolutely heartbroken’
Noah’s father, Rhys Woods, shared an emotional tribute after the devastating discovery.
“As I’m sure you have all seen, the body that was found in Decoy Pond is our little Noah,” he wrote.
“There are no words to describe the pain of this loss, we are all absolutely heartbroken, Noah was the sweetest and most innocent little boy, with nothing but love to give, and we are going to miss him so very much.”
Rhys thanked the public across the country, as well as the local community, volunteers and emergency services who had joined the desperate search.
He said the compassion shown during the search had given the family comfort and strength during “the darkest time of our lives”.
The family had continued hoping that Noah might simply be hiding somewhere nearby and would eventually be found safe.
“We were just hoping that he would be hiding somewhere obvious where someone could find him, that’s what we kept telling ourselves the whole time,” Rhys wrote.
He signed the tribute on behalf of Noah’s father and mother, Charlie Peck, as well as Noah’s little brother.
“Noah, you will be loved forever, you will never be forgotten and we miss you so so much,” he wrote. “It has been a privilege to be your parents and be able to have packed so much love in the short 3 years you were with us.”
Noah’s mother also shared the tribute.
Huge search brought Brantham together
Noah’s disappearance triggered one of the largest community search efforts in the area, with approximately 1,300 members of the public joining police and emergency services.
Specialist police search teams, dog units, HM Coastguard, Suffolk Fire & Rescue Service, the National Police Air Service, the Metropolitan Police Dive Team, Suffolk Lowland Search and Rescue and other agencies all assisted in the operation.
Volunteers searched across Brantham and the surrounding area, while others helped coordinate the operation, provided food and drinks, managed traffic and supported those taking part.
Suffolk Police Superintendent Tom Pearse praised the extraordinary response, saying the community had rallied together in what became a deeply tragic set of circumstances. Police have also asked the public to give Noah’s family time, space and privacy as they grieve.
The area around Decoy Pond was a particular focus of the search after Noah was believed to have headed in that direction from the playground.
The pond, located close to where he was last seen, has paths leading towards the water’s edge and was searched by specialist divers after the area was cordoned off.
The circumstances surrounding Noah’s death remain under investigation. Police have said the death is not being treated as suspicious.
The heartbreaking outcome has left the family and the wider Brantham community mourning a little boy remembered by his father as loving, innocent and deeply cherished.
For those who joined the search, donated to the fundraiser or left tributes, the focus is now on supporting Noah’s family as they face the unimaginable loss of their three-year-old son.