A MAN died on holiday in Goa after suffering an undetected stomach ulcer.

Andrew Gilchrist, 52, was on a family trip to Goa in January with his partner, mother and sister.

The family were celebrating a birthday in the tropical destination, where they had frequented over the years and enjoyed returning to.

Disaster struck during the holiday when Mr Gilchrist, of Spa Road, fell ill suddenly.

Mr Gilchrist suffered with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and struggled with his breathing on a regular basis.

He was sent to hospital twice in Goa for his lungs to be treated, but his complaints of a "tummy ache" throughout the week were not investigated further.

Just hours after his second visit to hospital, Mr Gilchrist called for his mother saying "I'm not going to make it", according to his sister Frances Gilchrist.

Ms Gilchrist said: "The night after he got out of hospital, my mum went to him and he was on the floor.

"After she got him on the bed, blood was coming out of his mouth and nose. It was like a murder scene.

"My mother was trying to get hold of an ambulance but it was difficult because language was an issue.

"My family were trying to give him CPR but he was already gone."

The family discovered that his death had been caused by a burst stomach ulcer, after two post mortems and an inquest.

Mr Gilchrist, who is originally from Glasgow but was living in Bolton, did not have travel insurance for his holiday to Goa, meaning the family had to raise the £2,500 cost to get his body back to the UK through an online campaign.

The family are now fundraising for a service and a stone in Scotland, where family who could not come down to Bolton for the funeral can pay their respects. In accordance with his final wishes, they hope to scatter Mr Gilchrist's ashes and get him a paving stone at Celtic Park, the home to his favourite football team.

The family is hosting a pub crawl on Sunday from 7pm around 16 pubs in Bolton. For £1, pub goers are being invited to sign a Celtic football shirt which will be taken to the football ground when the ashes are scattered. The group will meet at the Hen and Chickens Pub.

There will then be a memorial event on June 23 at the Hen and Chickens Pub.

From 2pm, there will be games and a raffle to raise money for the service. The family are looking for any donations of prizes for the raffle.

Ms Gilchrist said: "I'm just trying to help my mum do what she feels she needs to do. She has not even started to grieve yet."