Funeral for artist Alison Lapper's son Parys Published duration 29 August 2019

image copyright EDDIE MITCHELL image caption A funeral procession of VW vans and dozens of motorbikes travelled from the Lappers' home

The funeral has been held for the son of the artist Alison Lapper, who posed for a famous Trafalgar Square sculpture while pregnant with him.

Parys Lapper died suddenly last week at the age of 19.

His mother, who was born with shortened legs and no arms, posed nude for the artwork mounted on the square's fourth plinth in 2005.

In a written tribute read at Worthing Crematorium, Ms Lapper said: "It was my privilege to be your mother."

More than a hundred bikers escorted Parys on his final journey from the family home in Shoreham-by-Sea, West Sussex.

The family held an open house on Tuesday evening for his friends to decorate, paint, stick messages or sign their names on his empty coffin.

image copyright EDDIE MITCHELL image caption Friends of Alison Lapper gathered at the family home ahead of the service

image copyright EDDIE MITCHELL image caption More than 100 bikers joined the funeral procession

A letter, read on Ms Lapper's behalf at the service, said: "Dear Parys, you always will be my beautiful miracle boy.

"From the second you came out screaming your head off I fell in love and my heart was yours.

"You were so sensitive and gentle at times, we would snuggle on my bed for hours and you would play with my toes."

It ended: "You will always be a part of me, it was my privilege to be your mother, I would not have missed it for the world."

image caption Parys Lapper appeared on the BBC series Child Of Our Time in 2010

Ms Lapper co-hosted the 2016 BBC Four show No Body's Perfect with fashion photographer Rankin, exploring how digital photography, social media and selfie culture had affected people's sense of identity.

Parys also appeared on screen as one of the stars on the BBC series Child Of Our Time, which tracks millennial babies from their infancy into their young adult lives.