The heartbreaking message from Castle Bromwich murder victim Kelvin Ward’s partner

Hundreds of people gathered to pay tribute to deceased father Kelvin Ward in Castle Bromwich yesterday (Monday, April 24) - the same day West Midlands Police charged a second person with his murder.

The 50 year-old was fatally stabbed on Chester Road in Castle Bromwich last Tuesday (April 18). Friends and family attended the memorial in Smith’s Wood in Solihull, close to where he died, and a fundraiser has been launched to help the family with funeral costs.

Leighton Williams, aged 28 from North Roundhay in Stechford, was arrested. Previously, a 16-year-old boy, who cannot be named due to his age, was also charged with Kelvin’s murder and violent disorder.

The fundraiser was started by a friend - Lauren Fells - who wrote that Kelvin’s “family would like to thank everyone for their loving messages and support at this very sad time. Kelvin was a loving partner, father, son, brother and friend to many people. He was very well loved, vibrant, full of life and will be greatly missed.”

Heartfelt tributes from Kelvin Ward’s partner

Kelvin partner, Tammy, shared that Kelvin was her “soulmate”. She added: “His life was tragically stolen from him and his family by a gang of cowardly youths, he has been taken from me in a very malicious way. We were supposed to grow old together and had plans to live our lives.

“He would say ‘it’s our time now’. His life wasn’t supposed to end like this. This is not the way our story was supposed to end. He was very much looking forward to one day being a grandad and always happily spoke about it on a daily basis as well as someday walking his daughters down the aisle.

“If you were fortunate to have known Kelvin, as he was known by many. He was the heart of this community, the life of the party and touched so many people”s lives in many positive ways.”

Tammy added that she was reaching out for support towards Kelvin’s funeral costs and memorial. She said: “I work for the NHS on the bank which means I will not get any leave pay during my time off work as my contract is not permanent. I would be grateful for any amount and thank you in advance.”

The fundraiser has received almost £10,000 so far. If you want to donate to the family, you can do so on the GoFundMe page.