Boston family who lost son, aged just 31, give thanks to all those who supported him at end of his life

Scott Graves, of Sinclair Close, was travelling back from Skegness in his role as a recovery driver when he fell ill near Friskney.

Scott phoned his boss, John Weir of J. W. Recovery 24/7, and said he was not feeling well, that he had a headache and his arm felt strange.

John and his step-dad Trevor went to Scott’s aid, while John’s partner Coral called 999.

John and Trevor found Scott conscious, but clearly not well – he ‘felt drunk’, he told them, and he had to be carried to their vehicle. At the forefront of Scott’s mind, though, was a bracelet he had collected while in Skegness – it belonged to John’s son and had been left behind after a meal.

“All he was bothered about was Freddie getting his bracelet,” mum Astrid said. “He said ‘make sure Freddie gets his bracelet’.”

At the hospital, Scott collapsed in the car park. He was resuscitated by paramedics and taken to A&E, though was now unconscious.

A subsequent CT scan revealed Scott had suffered a bleed in his brain. The family were then told that due to the location of the bleed, inside the brain stem, there was nothing that could be done to address it.

Scott was taken to the hospital’s Intensive Care Unit, but died the next day, November 9.

Ahead of these tragic events, there was little indication of what was to come, his family said.

“He was fit and fine in the morning,” Astrid said. “He was fine 10 minutes before, because he rang his boss and was laughing and joking.”

Scott did suffer from high blood pressure and headaches, and had also had two minor heart attacks in recent years, but a scan in June of last year found no issues.

“There were no concerns,” Astrid said. “They said he was fine.”

It would seem, though, Scott may have felt differently. In September, he told a friend of a funeral plan he had created around the time of his scan in June after the document inexplicably flashed up on his mobile phone as he slept. He told them ‘I think my time will soon be up’, his family said. After Scott’s death, the friend told the family of the plan.

The existence of the document underscored how unnatural it felt for a parent to being saying farewell to a child, his family said.

“It should be the other way round,” Astrid said. “You should be telling your kids what you want.”

However, it did help them put together a fitting tribute to Scott. One detail he requested was having the song Mouldy Old Dough played, a reference to his love of banger racing.

Scott was introduced to the sport, aged five, by watching his uncles race. He then took it up himself when he was 17.

He mainly competed at Skegness and King’s Lynn, but further afield as well, including overseas, and won numerous prizes over the years.

He even continued with the sport after a crash nearly meant the loss of a leg.

“Nothing could stop him from racing,” Astrid said.

Dad, Gary, said: “I think he would have still gone racing even if he only had one leg.”

As a reflection of his love of banger racing, Scott’s ashes are to be spread at Skegness Stadium, where a memorial event is to be held in his honour later in the year, and the Adrian Flux Arena, in King’s Lynn.

His family described him as someone with a ‘heart of gold’.

“He would do anything for anybody and help them out,” Astrid said.

The family paid tribute to the hospital staff who supported Scott in November.

“They just made him comfortable and looked after him,” Astrid said.

“There were all brilliant,” Gary added. “They made him at rest and made it easier for us.”

They also thanked John, Coral and Trevor for their efforts, plus Jane Majury for the service she provided, the Pincushion Inn for the wake, and the funeral directors F. E. Addlessee and Son.

Donations at his funeral raised £500 for the Lincs & Notts Air Ambulance, the family added.