Hundreds of people turned out for the third vigil held for the young boys who died in the Solihull frozen lake tragedy.
Another vigil was held today in remembrance of the youngsters who sadly died after they fell through the ice at Babbs Mill Lake, in Birmingham last weekend.
Samuel Butler, six, his brother Finlay, eight, their cousin Thomas Stewart, 11, and Jack Johnson, ten, all died in the incident which shocked the nation and left the local community reeling.
Their families were left heartbroken and tributes poured in for the youngsters.
At 4pm today, hundreds of mourners gathered at the spot where a sea of tributes had been steadily growing at Babbs Mill Lake.
They could be seen standing together in silence after they opened the vigil with applause.
Dozens of balloons were brought for the boys along with teddy bears and flowers.
Speaking from the scene, BirminghamLive’s Josh Sandiford said: "Every time you lift your head it feels like more people arrive. There are hundreds here now.
"Many arrive with flowers, others with toys and cards. Somebody has arrived with a huge set of balloons which read Babbs Mill boys.
"There’s the faintest sound of somebody playing music. But it’s mostly quiet other than the occasional sound of an airplane flying above."
A few dozen people even turned out to pay their respects almost an hour before the vigil began.
Church leader Emil Kerekes opened his church's doors to give people a space to reflect, grieve and be with others.
He said: "Because of this incident people will remember Kingshurst as being united. Everybody wants to help and everybody wants to pitch in.
"If you know Kingshurst there's always that feeling that nothing good happens here. But actually with this tragedy people have united around one cause.
"People will remember Kingshurst for its community that has come together to support families. This is a united community that helps each other."
The deaths shocked the local community as news began to emerge last Sunday afternoon of what had happened.
The youngsters had been out on the frozen lake when they fell through the ice.
Amid the frantic response to save them, one police officer tried to punch through the ice with their bare hands to reach them as firefighters waded into the freezing water without specialist equipment.
A father of one of the children, a dog walker and a student police officer all waded into the icy water in a desperate attempt to rescue them, before the children were reached by specialist water rescue-trained firefighters who got the group to safety.
The kids pulled from the water were given immediate life support by ambulance and fire service personnel before being rushed to two Birmingham hospitals; Birmingham Children's and Heartlands, where they all arrived in critical condition.
Even though the boys were saved from the water, they would all tragically die.
Jack, Finlay and Thomas died in hospital on Sunday and Monday and on Wednesday, police confirmed the youngest of the boys Sam had also died.
Jack, one of the four youngsters, was called a ‘shining light’ by his school who paid touching tribute to the ten-year-old.
Kinghurst's St Anthony's Catholic Primary School, where Jack attended, said Jack "died living out our school motto of actions speak louder than words".
It comes following reports that Jack had jumped into the lake to try and save others.
Finlay, Samuel and Thomas' family has now paid tribute to their "beautiful boys", saying they are "devastated" at their loss.
Thomas’ older brother also remembered his sibling as a "lively little soul" and cousin "who loved dinosaurs so much" ahead of the sad news yesterday that Sam had died.
In a statement released by West Midlands Police, the parents said: “As a family we are devastated at the loss of our beautiful boys Tom, Fin and Sam in such tragic circumstances.
"We would like to thank the emergency services for all they did in rescuing the boys and to the community for their support, it has been overwhelming.
“We would like to pass on our condolences to Jack’s family at this very sad time, and ask for privacy from the media to begin to grieve.”
Thomas' brother previously wrote: “Thomas was such a lively little soul, he had a big heart for such a young kid and he was so beautiful. He loved being outside playing with his mates.
"I love you Tom, big bro will take care of the family and I will see you soon. Make sure you keep practising on warzone and get a win, will you?
“Can’t forget about my dinosaur man Fin, he loved dinosaurs so much and always showing me new things he built on Minecraft and all the new stuff he learnt on it. Gonna miss you little man.”
Extensive underwater searches were carried out and have now concluded.
Superintendent Rich Harris said: “This is a tragedy beyond words and a grief that is unimaginable for the families and friends of the boys.
"The support from the community has been overwhelming, not just for the bereaved families, but also for the emergency services, for which we are extremely grateful.
"Our officers will remain in the area in the coming days. Please come and speak to us if you need to."
An official fundraiser has also been set up for the four boys' families, raising over £23,000 at the time of writing. It has the backing of the families involved, being shared online by a number of relatives.
The GoFundMe page reads: "Our hearts are broken for the four Little Princes.
"On Sunday, 11th December 2022, a group of children played in a local park near an open lake. Being children and adventurous, they forgot the dangers taught by their parents and risked going onto the icy lake.
"Four boys fell through the ice and into the lake. The frantic father of one of the lads and a dog walker entered the lake to try and help the boys. The emergency and rescue services arrived promptly and began the rescue.
"Sadly, Jack (aged 10) and a young boy (aged 11) lost their lives on Sunday, 11th December 2022. Another young boy (aged 8) passed away in the early hours of the morning on Monday, 12th December 2022.
"The younger brother of the 8-year-old, aged 6, remained in critical condition until Wednesday, 14th December 2022, when sadly, he gave up his fight and gained his wings."
