About 250 mourners packed a country church to say goodbye to a popular teenager during a sombre but ‘moving’ funeral.
It was standing room only at St John the Evangelist Church, Alvanley, on Monday (January 4) as family, friends and teachers paid their last respects to Alexandra Tattersall, aged 16, a sixth-former at Helsby High School.
She passed away in hospital on Friday, December 18, after being fatally injured in a road accident.
Rev Ray Samuels, who presided, said Helsby sixth form was closed on the day, with Alex’s friends turning up ‘in force’ meaning the church was ‘absolutely crammed’.
“There were more standing than sitting, almost. It felt that way,” said Rev Samuels, who has only been in post just over a year but had never seen St John’s as full.
Alex, from Manley, is survived by parents Adrian and Debbie Tattersall and her two sisters who all attended. They insisted the Christmas decorations within the church should stay up as Alex had ‘loved Christmas’ and had intended to go along to the Christmas Eve service but sadly never made it.
Away in a Manger featured in the funeral service as one of the carols she would have sung.
The hymn ‘All Things Bright and Beautiful’ was also chosen because ‘Alex was bright and beautiful,’ explained Rev Samuels, who didn’t know her personally but had learned all about the teenager.
Alex’s headteacher John Dowler, who did know her well, gave a eulogy, which was ‘very touching’, said the vicar. And three friends, including Alex's boyfriend Jonny, offered a few words and jointly read a poem together which he described as ‘very moving’.
“I thought they all did exceedingly well even though it was clearly very difficult,” he added.
There were also three books of condolence with two having been completely filled and the third was filled in as part of the service.
Rev Samuels, who paid tribute to Alex during the service, said: “There were lots of hugely positive things that people were saying about Alex. I summarised her as someone who was full of life and fun, confident yet caring, outgoing yet considerate, loving and lovable and someone who made an impression on you. She was somebody you couldn’t be neutral about, she had such a strong personality.”
He said Alex’s actions showed she was ‘generous of spirit’ with a maturity beyond her years. She had begun to take an interest in the world around her and was ‘politically aware’ leading her to join a march over the Syrian refugee crisis.
“She was prepared to stand up for what she felt was right., just a super, super girl,” added Rev Samuels.
Alex’s family requested that, instead of flowers, mourners donate to the charity that supports Liverpool’s Walton Centre Neurosurgery trauma unit where Alex tragically passed away. Already £3,500 has been raised, click on this Walton Centre Charity link to donate.
Also hurt in the collision on Wednesday, December 16, was a 22-year-old woman driving the car in which Alex was a passenger who was taken to Liverpool’s Aintree Hospital with minor injuries. A 72-year-old woman, a passenger in the Micra, who was taken to the Royal Liverpool Hospital with serious injuries. The 70-year-old male driver of the Micra and a second passenger, an 11-year-old girl, were taken to the Countess of Chester Hospital with minor injuries.
A Cheshire Police investigation into the cause of the accident is continuing.
