A service to celebrate the life of a teenager who died on December 20th was deeply emotional, but also a joyful reflection of a girl described by her uncle as a happy and giggly girl, whose beautiful smile lit up wherever she went.

Hundred of friends joined members of the well-known Walford family, at St Michael’s and All Angels Church on January 11th, to remember Lydia Eleanor Mary Cole.

Lydia had loved working in an ice cream van and three vans from M&M Ices led the procession to the church, including one which carried her coffin, which was bedecked with blue and white flowers.

The familiar tunes from the vans rang out as the vans passed Walford Primary School where some of the pupils lined up to show their respect. Lydia’s nieces who are currently pupils at the school travelled in the vans. Lydia was a former pupil and had returned to the school for work experience.

Let Me Go by Gary Barlow was played as the family entered the church, which was packed. There were also about 30 to 40 people who listened to the service outside the church.

Lydia’s parents, Simeon and Sandra, her sisters, Hannah and Rachel, and her brother James, were accompanied by her nieces, Ellanor and Caitlyn, and nine-month-old nephew, Jack.

A poem for Lydia was beautifully presented by five-year-old Caitlyn and then read by nine-year-old Ellanor, who had also written this very special tribute. A round of heartfelt applause rang out around the church as she called her Aunty Lydia ‘a shining star’ and promised she would never be forgotten.

A tribute was given by her uncle, Richard Chinn, who gave lots of insights into Lydia’s childhood.

He said she was a “young lady loved and missed by family and friends who certainly knew how to live life to the full.” When Lydia and James were very young James could not quite say Lydia so that’s how she came to be known as “Deda” which stuck as these things tend to do, alongside other nicknames such as her Dad’s favourite “Teapot” (Teapot Lyd).

As a little girl, Lydia was in her element helping with the sheep or assisting dad with driving the digger or tractor, or visiting her grandparents. She enjoyed helping her mum in the kitchen and spending time perfecting make up and hair styles with her sisters.

Sadly at the age of 13 her seizures started and this was the start of treatment and visits to Birmingham Children’s Hospital, Aston University Hospital and St Thomas’s in London. In July 2016, Lydia had her operation which helped ease her seizures, with the long term hope of stopping them altogether. Despite this she did not let anything stop her from doing anything.See the full story in this week’s edition of the Ross Gazette, or subscribe to our online edition here