Sign up to FREE email alerts from crewechronicle - weekly Subscribe Thank you for subscribing See our privacy notice Invalid Email

Hundreds of people gathered at a Middlewich church to celebrate the life of a teenager killed in last month’s Manchester attack.

The funeral of Nell Jones, 14, from Goostrey, was held at Saint Michaels and All Angels Church in Middlewich, with hundreds of people attending the service and filling the church to capacity.

Members of the public also lined the streets around the church and stood outside in the churchyard, listening to the service on a speaker and paying their own respects to the teenager, who was a pupil at Holmes Chapel Comprehensive School.

The bells of the church rang out as Nell’s funeral cortege arrived, and at the ceremony speeches were given by Nell’s family and friends, as well as Denis Oliver, the headteacher of Holmes Chapel Comprehensive School.

Nell’s older brother Sam spoke first on behalf of the family, and gave an emotional and poignant tribute to his sister.

Sam said: “She was smart, but had an amazing modesty about herself. I am sure that she would have gone on to great things, no matter what she chose to do.

“Her kindness is something that this world will be a much worse place without. If anybody here tells of her spirit, her kindness and her love, she will never be far away.

“She would be overwhelmed at the amount of people here to bid her farewell.”

He also spoke of her many talents and how much she would be missed by her family and her friends, adding: “She would not want you to hate because of what has happened - she would want you to love.

“Nell meant the world to us - we loved her with all our hearts and we have been blessed to have her in our lives.

“Nell, I want you to know that I love you and I will miss you, and I will never forget you. Rest in peace little sister.”

Poignant speeches were also given by several of Nell’s friends, including a speech read out on behalf of Freya Lewis, who was with her at the concert in Manchester and was herself badly injured.

All of them spoke candidly about the memories they had made together with Nell, what their plans for the future had been, and how much they will miss her.