The family and friends of a Wirral businessman have remembered him with the “perfect” tribute.
Drew Cockton, who died at the age of 36 last October, was the owner of the vegan fragrance brand, Owen Drew, and gained a following after appearing on Dragon’s Den where he secured a £50,000 investment. Mr Cockton was said to be always “giving” and so, in an act of remembrance, his family and friends have come together to make one last donation in his name.
Mike Skeggs, Drew’s business partner, told the ECHO: “Drew was a champion for local businesses and local good causes, The team at Owen Drew is committed to continuing to raise funds in Drew’s name and build on the legacy he left.”
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Following the sudden death of the entrepreneur last year, the team at Owen Drew set up a JustGiving fundraising page with Drew’s family's blessing. The fundraising was supported by friends, family and local businesses and raised a total of over £13,000.
The funds have now started to be distributed to some of the causes that Drew held very closely, including Birkenhead’s Charles Thompson Mission - a charity dedicated to providing care and support, food and clothes, to those across the Wirral who are living in poverty - and Shelter and Cross Lane Cats home.
Mike said: “Drew was passionate about the people and causes on the Wirral, he spent a lot of his energy and time to bring awareness to local charities and I know he would be very pleased to know the funds raised are helping people directly on the Wirral, including helping cats home as his cats were such a huge part of his life.”
The 30-year-old from the Wirral explained how “over the years Drew had raised thousands of pounds for charity” and so creating a fundraiser to make one last donation in his name made “perfect sense”. Mike added: “Drew would always give, give and give, he was so selfless in that sense. So this is a fitting tribute.”
Mr Cockton rose to prominence after scooping a huge investment from multimillionaire Mr Suleyman on Dragons' Den. The budding entrepreneur impressed the Dragons after detailing his previous mental health issues and explaining why these were the driving force behind the creation of his business - and why the concept of wellness was so important to him. While Mr Cockton was on our screens, Mike was in the background “making sure everything was going to plan”.
The two created the vegan fragrance brand “at a kitchen table in 2016” when they were together in a relationship. After four years, they went their separate ways but continued being business partners and remained “huge” parts of each other's lives. Now, in memory of Mr Cockton, Mike is determined to keep the award-winning business going and ensure that his "vision for the company lives on and (will) continue to build upon the legacy that our beloved founder has created".
Dragon’s Den viewers watched as Drew began by explaining how at the age of 22, he had opened a hotel business on Manchester's Canal Street, quitting his job in financial services "against all the advice of my family" after he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. At the time, he said: "I was totally inexperienced. I was working so hard that I actually made myself quite ill and had a breakdown."
Undeterred by what he described as "failure", Drew started his business from the kitchen table of his home seven years ago, making and selling candles on social media. The firm now has its own premises in Birkenhead, producing natural soy wax candles, soy wax melts and luxurious room mists, with all the products, made entirely by hand.
With first-hand experience of what it was like to be an LGBTQ+ business owner, Drew wanted to celebrate others in the same industry as him. Making his vision a reality, Drew created the North West LGBTQ+ Business awards with the aim of highlighting the enormous contribution the LGBTQ+ community makes to the North West economy. The second-ever event was held at Liverpool’s Titanic Hotel on October, Friday 21 - the same weekend Mr Cockton died.
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