Selfless
I prepared for a magical Christmas, unaware that my heroic son would never make it home…
Linda Rawson, 63, from Skillington, Lincolnshire
Making my way into the kids’ bedrooms, I hung four stockings at the end of their bunk beds.
Getting everything ready for the big day, in the late hours of Christmas Eve, me and my husband Kevin, now 65, tried to make it as special as possible.
Christmas was always such a magical time for us, especially with the sound of the kids giggling outside the bedroom door in the early hours of the morning.
Only, then our eldest Gavin came leaping into the bedroom in his Superman PJs.
With Selina, now 41, Tara, now 39, and Gareth, now 36, following closely behind.
‘Please can we open our presents?’ Gavin begged.
‘Course you can,’ me and Kevin laughed, as they climbed into bed.
And that’s how Christmas would pan out in our house.
Amorning spent opening gifts,before getting dressed up to enjoy a festive feast with all the trimmings.
Obsessed with all things Superman and Batman, Gavin loved Christmas and we’d give him something superhero related – because to us, that’s what he was. Studying Sports Science at Leicester College, before landing a job at the local Burger King, Gavin worked his way up to a supervisor role, before leaving to become a merchandiser at Sainsbury’s.
It was clear to all that he was an incredibly hard worker – but he loved to party, too.
Living in a log cabin we had built at the back of the garden, he’d entertain everyone, busting out tunes on his decks.
It was then coined ‘Gavin’s Cabin’, a place where everyone would have a great time.
Only, having to travel all over the country for work, Gavin was always on the lookout for odd jobs he could do to earn some extra cash.
Leaving home to live with Gareth in 2014, he wanted a fresh start.
‘There’s this job, they make pig feed,’ Gavin explained.
Finding out about the job from his friend Mike, a food waste recycling centre, Greenfeeds Ltd, were o昀昀ering casual shift work to start with.
They produced biofuel and pig feed from recycled products which were then delivered using road haulage tankers.
Ran by couple Ian, 59, and his wife Gillian, 60, it sounded unusual – but Gavin had already worked a variety of roles.
‘You should go for it if it means extra money,’ I said.
And after Mike put in a good reference, Gavin got the job – working a couple shifts a week.
At 昀椀rst,he started unloading pallets of food waste when they arrived and driving a forklift.
Coming over to our house every week, along with his siblings, Gavin would f
