The family of a young man from Altrincham have paid tribute to their "world and strength" after his tragic death last week.
Darnell Cordingley, 26, was hit by a falling tree in Darley Street, Sale, on Thursday afternoon (October 6). He was with a long-time friend, who was injured in the tragedy and remains in hospital. The film-maker and avid gamer, who had his own YouTube channel where he posted videos he'd made, was tragically pronounced dead at the scene, leaving his family and friends devastated.
Tributes poured in for the "best big brother anyone could have hoped for", with close friends, loved ones, and people who knew Darnell from his online hobbies coming together to remember the beloved man. Now, his devastated family have paid tribute to their son and brother.
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Darnell's mum Beth Cordingley, 43, told the Manchester Evening News : "Darnell was just a lovely lovely gentle soul. He just wanted to help people, he was always a happy, cheery, positive person. He was the apple of my eye, my world, and my strength. He was a really good son, loving, loyal, always there for us both and always took care of his sister, we’re going to miss him very much.
"Myself and my daughter are absolutely devastated, it's always been us three against the world and nothing can fill the void that's been left in our lives. There's nothing that can fill this emptiness. It’s just tragic, it shouldn’t have happened to him. He had a happy and caring soul and always wanted the best for everyone. He could brighten up any room."
Darnell, who spent most of his spare time gaming, loved walking, animals, and playing airsoft. The straight A student, who went to Barton Clough Primary School before heading to Altrincham College of Arts High School, worked hard at South Trafford College to get into five different universities, settling on UCLAN Preston University to study directing and film, a huge passion which saw him create videos in his spare time for a YouTube channel. He lived at home with his mum and sister, saving to get onto the property ladder and buy his own home.
Sister Indio, 23, said: "Darnell was the best big brother anyone could have hoped for. He was always by my side when times got hard and I'm going to miss his comforting presence. He genuinely cared about everything and everyone, and he never had an enemy, everyone that met him loved him. Everyone he ever met was friends with him, he never had anything bad to say about anyone, he was just happy to be a part of people’s lives.
"He was down to earth, kind, and had a really calming and comforting presence. Even if you were the most stressed you’d ever been he’d calm you down. He always knew the right thing to say. He was a really interesting person, everything about him was just intriguing."
Darnell's dad, Leon Doyle, also paid tribute to his son through Beth and Indio, with a statement which said: "To my beloved son whom had everything to live for, the world will be a darker place without him."
Several other friends, including Daniel Sharples, Darnell's "best friend in the whole world", who had known him for 21 years, paid tribute to him. Daniel said: "Darney was my best friend ever, the most down to earth and kind person you would ever meet. He can not be replaced and I will miss you always."
Tom Bennion and Kieran Mather, two of Darnell's best friends, said: "Darnell was the kind of person that didn't care about what anyone thought of him, he just did what made him happy and got on with his life and helped anyone he could along the way. We'll miss him so much."
Another long-time friend Sam Smart was with Darnell when he tragically passed away, and had to be taken to hospital after being badly injured during the incident, where he remains. His girlfriend Hannah Seager said: "Sam and Darnell have been friends since they were teenagers. It's such an awful situation. Sam was always there for Darnell and always giving him advice, it was quite a brotherly relationship."
A fundraising page for Darnell's family has been set up by Emma Beesley, a close family friend, to help pay for the funeral and help his loved ones. A post on the page read: "Our beautiful Darnell has been taken from us in such an unexpected and tragic accident, his amazing mum has to now deal with planning a funeral for her baby boy, as a parent nobody thinks about this let alone has to face the reality of actually doing it.
"I am asking for help to raise funds to give our Darns the send of he truly deserves, please think about donating no matter how small so that we can try to take some unnecessary stress away from them. Darnell was such a gentle and beautiful soul and I myself am struggling to find the right words to say."
Beth and Indio also thanked everyone who had reached out to pay tribute to Darnell, including people who had been involved in the tragic incident. Beth added: "As a family we want to thank everyone for the heartfelt tributes and the kind words, generosity and kindness people have shown us. A lot of people we don’t even know have contacted us, people who were involved in the incident, who lived nearby. Two good friends of ours have not left our sides since. Thank you to everyone."
Around £3,500 has been raised for Darnell's funeral since the fundraising page was set up yesterday, with several contributors leaving heartfelt comments to the family. Visit the GoFundMe page to read them or donate.
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