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Down Your Way


PAGES 20 and 21


A family’s farewell to a beautiful son


by Faiza Afzaal


TEARS flowed as grieving relatives, friends and teachers packed a tiny village church to celebrate the life of a popular 14-year-old boy. Tom Smith, a Year 9 pupil at Bowland High


School, Grindleton, died last Monday evening after, a three-year.battle against a brain tumour. The avid Clarets’ supporter lived with his


parents, Chris and Julie Smith, his sister, Chloe (12), and six-year-old brother, Lewis, in Forrest Beck, Bolton-by-Bowland. His tragic death touched the hearts of


numerous people. This was evident on Monday when hun- .


dreds of mourners gathered at St Peter and St Paul’s Church, Bolton-by-Bowland, to witness the hour-long service, led by the Rev. Daniel Burton. Loudspeakers were positioned outside the church so that the service could be relayed to those unable to fit inside. Among the mourners paying their last,


respects.were directors, staff and players from Burnley Football Club, including club manag­ er Steve Cotterill. .School friends and teachers sobbed and hugged each other for support as Tom’s coffin was carried into the church to the sound of Mariah Carey’s “Hero” in the background. ■ Behind, his mother carried a wreath spelling out his name. . Other floral tributes depicting a football, car and motorbike were laid in the church


grounds, reflecting his love for cars and foot­ ball.


::


ing a moving verse from the order of service, which read: “Life is not counted by the years that you live, but by the love that you gave and the things that you did”. Moving tributes read out during the service


included the poignant thoughts of Mr Keith Brown, Tom’s teacher at Crawshawbooth Pri- mary School. He spoke of the lively teenager’s tremendous


personality and described him as being “sim­ ply the best”. “Tom was a great lad. He was loving, caring


and considerate. In my 32-year teaching career, I have taught thousands of pupils and can proudly say that Tom will always remain special. - : “He was a true sportsman, always encour­


aging and showed great determination when playing football. “We will always remember his big beaming


smile and there was never a dull moment in the class with Tom around. Tom was a real star. He was a pleasure to talk to, a pleasure to teach and a pleasure to know. In the words of Tina Turner, he was‘simply the best’.” Tom’s best friends, Richard Park and Joe


McArdle, broke down in tears as they read a farewell poem for someone they regarded as a brother. The minister recited a poem written by


Tom’s sister, Chloe, on his 13th birthday describing her love for her. special brother. During the service, Tom’s father made refer­


, ■ Mr Burton welcomed the mourners by recit­


ence to the immense courage his son showed throughout the illness. .


• continued on page 3


' • We could not have wished for a more beautiful son-family’s tribute, page 13


Snakes found dumped


SNAKES found dead near Worston could have been alive when they were dumped in the quiet lane. A spokesman for the


RSPCA said the five snakes - including a 5ft. boa con­ strictor, similar to the one pictured, and a royal python - would not have survived the recent cold weather, but could have been alive when they were dumped. She added it was an all-too-common prob­ lem, as people bought snakes and other reptiles with little idea of how to look after them or how big they could grow. Finding them came as


quite a shock to Worston resident Lynda England (56), who came across them in W^orston Old Road, next to a field where she keeps her horse. Mrs England alerted the authorities and a search, of the area


revealed the fifth snake, a 2ft. royal python, on the grass verge on the Clitheroe side of the A59. None of the snakes was poisonous and since their discovery no more have been found.. • ■ Initially it was thought


that the snakes could have come from nearby Clitheroe Auction Mart, which sometimes sells them at its weekly Bird Market. However, manager John Swingler said th a t was extremely unlikely as very few snakes were sold at the market at this time of year because of the cold. It had not sold a boa constrictor or


; python since last autumn, he said. Anyone who sees a snake


\in the Ribble Valley can phone the RSPCA on 0870 5555999, the council’s envi­ ronmental health team on 01200 414464, or Clitheroe Police on 01200 443344.


FAMILY NOTICES... PAGES 24,25 ■ AT YOUR SERVICE... PAGES 4,5 ■ VILLAGE NEWS... PAGES 11,12,13 6S®i ' www^clitheroetpday.cb.’ uko Price 60p-j m


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