Hundreds of people have gathered to mark the funeral of Jay Slater, the British teenager who died on holiday in Tenerife in June.
A month-long international search for Slater, 19, had been launched when he disappeared on the holiday island while attending a music festival with his friends.
A month later, investigators finally found the apprentice bricklayer’s body in a ravine near the village of Masca, an isolated spot in a rural area of Tenerife.
His mother, Debbie Duncan – who had led fundraising and publicity efforts while the search went on – could be seen tearing up alongside Slater’s father Warren, family members, friends and hundreds of well-wishers at the funeral on Saturday.
Debbie Duncan (centre) wiped away tears as the coffin was carried past
PA
Jay’s body was transported to the service by horse-drawn carriage
PA
Mourners at the service at Accrington Crematorium Chapel had been asked to wear blue in Jay’s memory, while his coffin was carried to the venue accompanied by drum and bass music – the genre he had travelled to Tenerife to enjoy at the festival.
The teenager’s body was pulled to the chapel by a horse-drawn carriage before his coffin, deep blue with “JAY” engraved on its side, was carried inside to Lana del Rey’s “Forever Young”.
Inside, mourners were shown videos of a younger Slater playing football and dancing at festivals – which brought laughter to those in the chapel.
In a eulogy, Jay’s close friend James Curry eulogised that he was “more than a mate” and “more like a brother”, adding: “Jay was one of a kind. He lit up any room with that goofy smile of his.”
Curry said he had “cherished” his time with Slater – with whom he was about to start a business – before poems were read out at the service.
The teen’s family members have asked that instead of flowers, people could donate to LBT Global, the overseas crisis support charity which helped his family through their heartache after he went missing.
More to follow…