Tributes have been paid to a “lovely” young man who died suddenly in Wigan.
Thomas Simm, known fondly as Ginger Tom, was discovered at his home on Keeps Avenue on the morning of March 2.
The 23-year-old had expressed feelings of loneliness through lockdown and missed going out with friends.
In the months leading up to his death, his mother, Joanne Atherton, noticed he had become withdrawn.
She described finding her son at home as “the worst thing in the world”.
“He had been talking to us quite openly about how he had been feeling since October,” the 42-year-old said.
“He was just really struggling. He was lonely. He just wanted to get out and do something – he had holidays booked and cancelled.
“It’s obviously the worst thing in the world. You don’t expect to find your child like that.
“He touched so many people. From a mum’s perspective, he was just smiley and lovely.
“He was a typical 23-year-old. He was all about seeing friends.
“He would do absolutely anything for anyone.”
A GoFundMe has been set up in Tom's memory - click here
Tom had been working at a paper recycling company at the time of his death.
The nature of his job meant he spent a lot of time on the road by himself.
Close friends say his death has come as a “devastating shock to all who knew him”.
Tom’s best friend, Philippa Taylor, recalled the last conversation she had with him the day before he died.
She says his passing has left her feeling “numb”.
“I last spoke to him on Monday, he said he wasn’t going into work and that he’d had a bad day,” the 29-year-old told the Manchester Evening News .
“I said, ‘You’ll smash it tomorrow’ and got on with my day because I’m a driver and I’m always busy.
“I saw he hadn’t messaged back. I just never thought anything of it.
“If I had ever thought he was in that place, I would have rung him. I would have broken the rules for him.
“I look back on my message, I see it on my phone now and I think, ‘Why?’
“But I didn’t know.”
Tom, described as a “quiet guy” who was “always trying to make everyone laugh”, enjoyed drawing, going for drinks with friends and go-karting.
He was born and raised in Bolton but moved to Wigan in 2019.
Philippa, from Walkden, said he had recently opened up to her about his struggles with mental health.
An inquest into his death was opened at Bolton Coroner’s Court last week.
Philippa continued: “I told him I was proud of him for opening up. He said he was getting onto the doctors.
“Lockdown prevented him from getting help and that’s what made him spiral. He was away from his friends and wasn’t really seeing people.
“He had more demons than I thought but he was just a quiet guy.
“No one was expecting it because he’s fun and a nice guy. I think he just wanted to make everyone laugh.
“He loved his driving, going for a drink with friends and go-karting.
“He said we were going to move in together and get him help.
“I still can’t accept it now. I’m numb.”
The Gofundme fundraiser has been set up in Tom’s memory will help pay for funeral costs. Any remaining funds will go towards a memorial and mental health charity PAPYRUS.
To donate or find out more information, follow the link by clicking here: https://uk.gofundme.com/f/thomas-simms-funeral-fundraiser.
