FRIENDS are rallying around to raise funds to give a send-off at the funeral of a “one-of-a-kind” man.

Geoff Player, from Kingsclere, died on July 23 at the age of 69.

However, having no siblings or immediate family of note, there was no one to organise his funeral.

Having made such a lasting impression on his community, his friends have now joined together to crowdfund to get Mr Player the send-off he deserves.

The group of friends and acquaintances are looking to raise £3,200 to cover the costs of his funeral.

Mr Player was known for organising countryside walks around Hampshire and being a man who just loved the outdoors.

Nigel Simpson, a friend of Mr Player, said: “He was barking mad, but in the best possible way.

“He was such a nice man and would happily talk to anyone that he met, and he was just really endearing to people.

“He was really passionate about the things that he loved and would just focus on that, he really was one-of-a-kind.”

Mr Simpson said that Mr Player also had an encyclopaedic memory and could just recall facts that others would have forgotten.

He added: “It was strange, he could recall what the weather was like on a certain date, and his knowledge and geography of Hampshire was incredible.

“He loved maps and his house was full of them, I think this is why he enjoyed organising the walks.

“No matter where you were in the countryside, Geoff would be able to locate you on a map and mark the best route to go to reach whatever destination we were going to.

“He also used to always come up with these facts and you’d be baffled and ask him how he can remember that, and he’d reply, ‘I just do’.”

Since the crowdfunding page was launched, more than £1,700 has already been raised with people leaving tributes on the page for him.

Mr Player moved to Basingstoke through work, working at the AA as a cartographic researcher specialising in overseas routes.

He was a member of numerous social and walking clubs and was a popular organiser of walks, concerts and visits to festivals, planning everything with meticulous detail, collecting numerous local papers and photocopies of articles to further his knowledge of future events.

Another friend, David Williams, added: “Geoff had a carefree approach to life and was in his element entertaining groups of people with his boundless knowledge and individual brand of humour.”

The funeral is scheduled to be held on Thursday, 6 September at Basingstoke Crematorium at 3.30pm.

To support and to donate to the crowd funding campaign in aid of Mr Player’s funeral, go to justgiving.com/crowdfunding/geoff-player.