Funeral for crash death teenager

The scene of a coach crash on the A73 near Wiston which killed 17-year-old Natasha Paton
12 April 2012

The funeral of a teenager who died when a school coach crashed in a blizzard is due to take place.

Natasha Paton, who would have turned 18 on Tuesday, will be laid to rest at a private service.

She was killed when the coach lost control and collided with a bridge, overturning into a river.

The 17-year-old, from Cleghorn, South Lanarkshire, was travelling with classmates from Lanark Grammar School to Alton Towers theme park in Staffordshire when the accident happened last week. After the crash, Natasha's parents said they were "devastated" by the death of their daughter.

A celebration of the teenager's life will be held after the funeral.

Mourners will wear brightly-coloured clothing and staff and students from the school will read poems and tributes in memory of the teenager.

The service will be led by the Reverend Sarah Ross, who is also chaplain at the school. Roads around the church will be closed while the ceremony takes place.

Ms Ross said the service was to be "as positive as possible".

"It will be a service of celebration," she said. "There will be a couple of poems and prayers and some photographs. There won't be anything heavy - just a celebration of who she was. It will be as uplifting as possible under the circumstances.

"The family want people to wear colour tomorrow to reflect that Natasha loved colour. They want the service to be as bright as possible. Music will also be an important part of the service because Natasha loved her music."

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