Fundraiser for family of Noah Woods hits £105,000 after body of missing three-year-old was pulled from pond

A fundraising appeal for the family of Noah Woods has passed £105,000 after the three-year-old boy was found dead in a pond. Noah, who was non-verbal and partially deaf, and awaiting an autism assessment, was reported missing last Tuesday after running away from a relative following a trip to a playground in Suffolk.He had run down an alleyway in the direction of woodland.Some 1,300 volunteers gathered at the small village of Brantham to help emergency services find the youngster.But last Wednesday afternoon it was confirmed a body believed to be Noah was pulled from nearby Decoy Pond.Police including a specialist diving team, firefighters, staff from the coastguard, local search-and-rescue and canine organisations were among those involved in the search for Noah, described by family as 'the sweetest and most innocent little boy'.A fundraiser has since been launched by the Good Dads Club, a club set up for fathers in neighbouring Essex to meet one another with their children.Ipswich Town players, including captain Dara O'Shea, laid flowers for Noah last Thursday, while the Premier League club's left-back Leif Davis donated £2,000. Tributes have been paid to Noah Woods, three, following his death last week in Suffolk The appeal's organisers said: 'While no amount of money can undo these life altering events, every single financial contribution will go directly toward helping Noah’s family’s expenses, navigate daily bills, and take the necessary time off work to grieve without the added strain of financial worry.' Noah's parents Rhys Woods and Charlie Peck paid tribute to him last Thursday.Posting on social media, Mr Woods said: 'As I'm sure you have all seen, the body that was found in Decoy Pond is our little Noah.'There are no words to describe the pain of this loss, we are all absolutely heartbroken, Noah was the sweetest and most innocent little boy, with nothing but love to give, and we are going to miss him so very much.'He went on to thank the 'whole nation' for taking Noah 'into your hearts', as well as the local community, volunteers and emergency services for their assistance.Mr Woods continued: 'The compassion shown by all of you will never be forgotten by us and brought us comfort and strength at the darkest time of our lives.'This was the most heartbreaking outcome for us, we were just hoping that he would be hiding somewhere obvious where someone could find him, that's what we kept telling ourselves the whole time.'With our love and deepest gratitude, from his daddy and mummy and little brother. Noah (pictured with his mother Charlie Peck), who was non-verbal and partially deaf and awaiting an autism assessment, was found in Decoy Pond in the village of Brantham, Suffolk Now a fundraiser launched by the Good Dads Club – a club set up for fathers in nearby Essex to meet one another with their children - has raised more than £100,000 for his family Pictured is Noah Woods' mother Charlie Peck, who shared an online tribute to the boy Noah's father Rhys Woods called him 'the sweetest and most innocent boy, with nothing but love to give''Noah, you will be loved forever, you will never be forgotten and we miss you so so much, it has been a privilege to be your parents and be able to have packed so much love in the short 3 years you were with us.'The tribute was also shared by Noah's mother.Posting on Instagram on Friday morning, the Good Dads Club said Noah's parents had been told about the fundraiser and were 'incredibly grateful for everyone’s generosity'.'We expected to raise a modest amount to pass on to the Woods family when the time was right, but what we hadn’t planned for was an astonishing avalanche of kindness, compassion and empathy from thousands and thousands of you, all with the shared goal of helping poor Noah’s family,' the statement read.'We set the page up, but it’s absolutely not about us, we are here to shine a light on a wonderful community of people who have united to help search for Noah, offer support to the Woods family, and the incredible donations that will be able to provide some financial relief to help them navigate through an incredibly difficult grieving period.'Police confirmed on Wednesday they had recovered a body just 250 yards from where Noah was last seen. Officers are treating the death as unexplained but not suspicious.The alarm was raised when no trace of Noah could be found after he dashed away from the playground. The alleyway quickly turns into a sandy track heading down a hill with woodland to the left and a development of new houses to the right. The play area was beside a path that led down to Decoy Pond, where police found a body The pond is 250 yards from where Noah was last seen by a relativeThe path then joins another track which leads directly through woodland bordering the edge of the pond, which is around 150 yards wide and known as a wildlife haven and a private fishing spot.It has a number of access points with paths leading to the water's edge, directly from the track. The banks in some places are shallow, meaning that a child could directly run in while unseen.There have been suggestions that Noah's suspected autism could have made him more vulnerable to drowning in the pond. Autism charities and water safety campaigners have warned that children with the condition face a significantly higher risk of drowning than neurotypical children.Many are said to be attracted to the sights, sounds and tactile feel of splashing in water while unaware of the dangers posed.