Support truly
independent journalism
Jay Slater’s heartbroken mother was in tears as hundreds of mourners turned up to her 19-year-old son’s funeral in the pouring rain.
Debbie Duncan, 55, was seen alongside a horse-drawn carriage pulling the coffin of Mr Slater at Accrington Cemetery Chapel, Lancashire, on Saturday morning.
Mr Slater died while on holiday in Tenerife after falling from a height in the remote Rural de Teno National Park. He had travelled to the Spanish island in June with friends to attend a music festival.
His body was brought to the chapel in a blue coffin with “JAY” embossed on the side, and was carried to the sounds of Lana del Ray’s “Forever Young”.
His loved ones have also asked that instead of flowers, people could donate to LBT Global, an overseas crisis support charity which helped his family through their heartache.
The charity had warned earlier in the week that scammers were attempting to target the funeral by offering a fake live stream of the ceremony.
It confirmed at the time the only legitimate donation channels to support Mr Slater’s family are on its fundraising page or via the LBT Global website.
In a eulogy, his friend James Curry said he was “more than a mate” and “more like a brother”. Mr Curry, who was due to start a business with Mr Slater, added: “Jay was one of a kind. He lit up any room with that goofy smile of his.”
The body of the teenager, from Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire, who died shortly after he last spoke to his friends at around 8.50am on 17 June, was returned to the UK last week.
A post-mortem examination found he died of traumatic head injuries, consistent with a fall from a height, and that his death would have been instantaneous.
Mr Slater, an apprentice bricklayer, was also remembered in a tribute from his family which outlined the major events and passions of his life.
They stated: “A loving son of Debbie and Warren, a cherished brother of Zak and brother-in-law of Jessica, a treasured grandson of Dawn, June and the late Dougie, a much-loved nephew of Glen and Katie, a dear cousin of Maddie and Tillie and a loyal friend to many. Jay will be very sadly missed by all those who knew him.”
The family said: “After Jay left Rhyddings High School he went on to become an apprentice bricklayer with the PH Build group, a job he greatly enjoyed.
“At the young age of five Jay started playing football for Huncoat United FC until the age of 17 and also did a few seasons with the Sunday team at St Joesph’s too.
“He also loved spending time chilling out with his friends. Jay’s love of music and dance started at a very young age.
“He loved attending music festivals and events across the country and also loved to socialise and meet new people.”
Mr Slater attended the NRG music festival with two friends before his disappearance, before travelling to Masca with two older British men who had rented a property.
Police later said the two men were “not relevant” to the case. In his last phone call to his friend Lucy Law, he said that he was lost, dehydrated, had injured his leg and only had one per cent phone battery.
