IT WAS a day for the young – sunny, warm and bright – and they came in their hundreds, filling the little church until it was standing room only. And still they came . . . This was the funeral of Alex Peguero Sosa on Wednesday, when countless teenagers and young people came together with his family to say goodbye to their friend. Eight friends, five of whom had been anticipating going on holiday with him shortly, acted instead as pall-bearers for the 17-year-old, carrying out the duty with more poise and honour than a teenager should have to muster – and they did him proud. Very proud indeed. The Rev Jackie Taylor read out a letter from Howard Wicks, for whose charity, Help for Howard, the family asked for the retiring collection. Howard said: 'Alex used to look up to me as a brother, I never knew why. He was a close friend of mine, we used to play football and after I had helped him with his football, I turned to him for help with girls – because he was good at that. 'I watched as he followed his love of football, and he often came to visit me in rehabilitation, which was a very thoughtful thing for him to do.' Alex's love of football was remembered as Gerry and the Pacemakers' anthem You'll Never Walk Alone was sung throughout the church. Rosie Brown's tribute was read by Rev Jackie: 'Saying goodbye to Alex does not mean we have to let him go, this is something I am coming to realise. I will always carry my love for Alex in my heart and in my mind.' Alex's friend Ella Porter Brentford touched the congregation by singing Fall by Justin Bieber saying: 'I was never in a rush to sing this for Alex, but he always asked me to. I thought we'd have so much more time'. Lucy, Alex's sister, read the poem Afterglow by Helen Lowrie Marshall, that includes the line 'I'd like the memory of me, to be a happy one. I'd like to leave an afterglow, of smiles when life is done.' The number of friends and peers present for the service was a testament to how many people he touched in his short time and to the kind of fun-loving person Alex was. His love of music seemed to have drawn talented singers to him, as Flo Hope Bonner sang a hauntingly beautiful version of Michael Jackson's You Are Not Alone, which struck a chord with all who heard it. Tributes from his family were read by the Rev Jackie, including from his nieces and nephews and his mum, who called him her 'welcome late addition' and wishing she had more opportunities to 'put the shifts in' for him, as Alex used to say. She said the line from his friends at Plymouth Argyle Football Club that 'Alex lived life at 200 miles an hour with a smile on his face', summed her son up completely. His father, Alexis, paid tribute to his son and asked Alex to look down on him as he does the every

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