'He'll be sadly missed': Jay Slater's horse-drawn coffin arrives at funeral as friends and family pay their respects
10 August 2024, 11:02 | Updated: 11 August 2024, 08:43
A family friend of Jay Slater has told LBC the situation doesn't seem real, despite the fact that the teen's funeral has now taken place two months after he went missing.
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Jay Slater's horse-drawn coffin has made its way through the streets of Lancashire on Saturday, and Jonny Cruise, a family friend of Jay Slater, whose son played football with him, told LBC: "He'll be sadly missed."
The families spent Saturdays and Sundays with each other for "a long while".
He added that the service was "very nice" and "very well done", but that it's just so sad and still "a lot to take in".
Friends, family and well-wishers gathered in his home town of Oswaldtwistle to pay tribute to the teen during a "celebration of life".
The 19-year-old went missing on the island of Tenerife on June 17 after texting friends to say he was lost and had "cut his leg" following a night out with friends at a festival.
Neighbours were asked to tie "blue ribbons" to front gardens along the street ahead of the teen's final journey, as well-wishers stood in the pouring rain to await the arrival of the coffin.
As the coffin was removed from the carriage, the song 'Forever Young' could be heard playing out as the teenager's body was carried into the chapel by pole bearers.
Taking place at Accrington Cemetery Chapel, attendees were asked to wear blue in memory of the teen rather than traditional black attire, with attendees urged not to bring flowers.
The family said: "If anyone would like to bring a single rose to place with Jay, they are more than welcome – no bouquets."
Jay Slater's coffin is carried into Accrington Cemetery Chapel
A live stream broadcasting the funeral was displayed on a large screen to the side of the entrance of the chapel.
'Forever 19' was printed on the cover of the order of service, alongside a picture of the teenager and the words 'forever in our hearts'.
Jay's body was found by a search team on July 16 - some 29 days later - with a post-mortem revealing the teenager had died from "traumatic head injuries" constant with a fall from height.
After Spanish authorities released his body, parents Debbie Duncan, 55, and Warren Slater, 58, returned Jay to the UK, where the funeral took place.
Read more: Jay Slater autopsy reveals exactly how missing teenager died with tragic finding
Funeral attendees unleashed blue smoke outside the church where the family were gathered to remember the teenager.
One man held a flare aloft from a nearby car, as the blue smoke billowed outside as proceedings took place inside.
It comes as Jay's family set up another Go Fund Me page in memory of Jay to allow friends and family to honour his memory with a gift to LBT Global - the charity who conducted volunteer search operations to find the teen.
The short statement written on the new fundraising page, site reads: "This fundraiser is in memory of Jay Slater, so friends and family can honour his memory with a gift to LBT Global.
"Jay's family have asked for donations in memory of Jay to LBT Global, the charity that has helped and continues to help, them through the tragic loss of Jay in Tenerife.
"All donations will go straight to supporting families in similar situations."
It follows an initial Go Fund Me page which raised more than £72,000 in a bid to give Jay a "good send off".
Mourners gather for Jay Slater's funeral
It comes as 'vile trolls' took to the internet earlier this week to claim the funeral will be live-streamed for a fee.
LBT Global, a charity working with Jay's family, said it had received several reports of the scam appearing online.
Trolls have claimed to have access to a live stream link where people can watch the 17-year-old's funeral - if they send over money.
But Jay's family has strongly denied that any footage from the funeral will be streamed online.
Read more: Jay Slater's final cause of death revealed following post-mortem after his body was returned to UK
Read more: Mystery man who was one of the last people to see Jay Slater alive breaks silence
LBT Global issued a warning over the "hurtful and deeply unrespectful" scam.
Chief Executive Matthew Searle, from the charity, told the Sun: "We are inundated with reports of these scams, and as fast as we can get the platforms to remove them, more appear.
"To be completely clear – there is no live stream of Jay's funeral, and anyone claiming to offer one is a scam.
"As much as being hurtful and deeply unrespectful, this is taking vital donations away from a small charity.
"We ask that anyone seeing one of these pages reports it to the platform. Please don't follow them or send them money.
"It is so typical of the vile trolling this family have received for them to target something so special as a funeral."
It comes after a post-mortem examination found Jay died of traumatic head injuries, consistent with a fall from height. His death would have been instantaneous.
A "celebration of life service" is set to take place at Accrington Cemetery Chapel.
Jay had been attending the NRG music festival with two friends before his disappearance on June 17.
His last known location was the Rural de Teno Park in the north of the Canary Island, which was about an 11-hour walk from his accommodation.
He had travelled to an Airbnb in Masca after the night out but the two men said to have rented the property were later ruled "not relevant" to the case.
The Spanish Civil Guard said Jay could have fallen in the steep and inaccessible area where he was discovered.
