The family and friends of Jay Slater have paid tribute to the teenager who died while on holiday in Tenerife at a funeral service attended by about 500 people.
Mourners packed into the chapel at the Accrington crematorium for the funeral of the 19-year-old from Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire, who is believed to have fallen to his death after getting lost in a mountainous area of the Spanish island on 17 June.
Many others watched in the drizzle outside as the proceedings were relayed on a specially erected screen.
Most wore the colour blue in Slater’s memory at the wishes of his family. Co-workers from PH Build Group, where he was an apprentice bricklayer, wore T-shirts with “forever 19” on the front.
The funeral director, Sarah Barton, told the congregation: “We know that Jay touched the lives of so many people, and on behalf of the family I would like to thank all those who have sent heartfelt messages and cards to them to help them get through this incredibly hard and sad time.
“I would also like to thank all those who have helped bring Jay safely back to us, family, friends, the kind offers from people in Tenerife, the police here back home and all of you for coming here today to show your love and care.”
Jay’s mother, Debbie Duncan, his father, Warren Slater, and his elder brother, Zak, listened as memories of Jay’s junior footballing exploits at Huncoat United, where he played from the age of six to 17, and his days at West End primary school and Rhyddings secondary school, were shared.
In a tribute read out at the service, the Huncoat United manager, Stuart Holt, said: “I met first Jay when he was six years old, when Debbie brought him to his first football coaching session.
“He already looked the part with his baggy kit and his flowing locks. Jay was quiet, shy and, as it turned out, a natural footballer.
“I cannot remember a single incident in those 10 seasons where he fell out with a teammate or an opponent. He would just turn up – usually at the last minute because he liked his sleep – and always played with a smile on his face and was just happy with the ball at his feet.
“You wouldn’t find a teammate with a bad word to say about Jay. Just respect and affection.”
Barton said Jay made “solid and loyal” friendships throughout his time at West End primary and Rhyddings.
She said: “There are simply too many friends to mention. You only need to look inside here and outside to realise the depth of the amount of friends Jay had, whether they be on Snapchat, Insta or whatever.
“After leaving school, Jay would secure himself a one-week job trial in the summer with the PH Build Group who then kept him on and changed into a permanent contract.
“This led to him starting a three-year apprenticeship at Accrington and Rossendale College, where he would have been doing his final assessments in July.”
At weekends Jay “loved to party”, she said, adding: “He worked hard and played hard. We know he loved his music and dance, with this starting from a very early age.”
Slater had been with friends, on his first holiday without his parents, when he attended a rave at the Papagayo nightclub in the southern Tenerife resort of Playa de las Americas on 16 June.
He went to the western mountain village of Masca with two people he had met earlier in his holiday. The next morning, he began to walk 11 hours back to his accommodation. After about half an hour he called a friend, Lucy Law, to say he was lost, thirsty and had 1% battery on his phone. He was never heard from again.
A postmortem found he died of traumatic head injuries, consistent with a fall from height.
Mourners were handed cards with a photograph of the teenager and the words: “remembering with love, Jay Dean Slater, always in our hearts, forever 19.”
On the back, it said: “If there was anyone dancing on the way to the other side it was him.”
