Family to celebrate the life of teenager Luke (From Tewkesbury Admag)

Family to celebrate the life of teenager Luke

THE family of Blockley teenager Luke Jeffrey who collapsed and died in a swimming pool at the Fire Service College Leisure Centre in Moreton last week, are determined to remember him with "music and laughter".

They have arranged a party for family, friends and villagers to celebrate the life of the 15-year-old Prodigy fan who loved life and lived it to the full.

It will be held at the White Hart in Moreton next Friday night, May 5. His funeral is being held the same day at 2pm at the Church of St Peter and St Paul in Blockley, followed by cremation at Oakley Wood, Wellesbourne, at 3.30pm. His parents, Mark and Melanie Jeffrey, want everyone to attend the services and the party.

An inquest into Luke's death was opened and adjourned by the Cotswold coroner Alan Crickmore. He said further tests will now be carried out to try to pinpoint why Luke died after a Home Office pathologist failed to discover what killed the talented swimmer.

A post mortem carried out by Dr Rik James has not produced any definite result and the cause of death is currently recorded as 'unascertained.'

The inquest in Cirencester on Monday heard that Luke was swimming with fellow members of Moreton and District Divers at the pool at the college last Wednesday when he died.

At the end of the session other members looked for him and realised he was at the bottom of the deep end of the 10ft deep pool. He was recovered but could not be revived. His family have said they suspect he must have had some sort of heart attack.

His mum, Melanie, said: "We want to remember him with music and laughter. We want as light-hearted a church celebration as possible - casual dress, no black, everyone is invited. The party will be a celebration of his life for all his friends. This is from Luke to everybody."

"We are all one big community. We have been inundated with calls and messages of sympathy and we have appreciated everything everyone has done for us," said his dad, Mark.

"We would also like to thank the police and coroner's staff and the hospital staff at Cheltenham. They have all been very kind and helpful."

Luke, a pupil at Chipping Campden School, was a well-liked teenager who loved sports and swimming in particular. He had recently broken the one-minute barrier in the 100m freestyle, achieving 58.72 seconds, and was fifth in the final of the 50m at the recent county championships with a personal best of 26.91 seconds. His coach, Jack Siddle, had hopes for him progressing to national level and even trying for the London Olympics in 2012.

Luke was going to swim the Channel next year with his friends, Chris Smith and Richard Ing. Melanie said the boys were thinking of carrying on with the swim in Luke's memory.

"He was very dedicated to his swimming," said Melanie, who was a founder member and former chairman of the 4 Shires Swimming Club which Luke belonged to. "He just loved the water and any opportunity to join in with water sports."

Luke also loved basketball and played for the school team, and was a member of Moreton Rangers Football Club for three years. He also loved tennis, even persuading his grandmother Daphne Butt to play with him in the depths of winter. Mrs Butt said: "I'm thinking of writing a book called Tennis in December. You had to be prepared for all eventualities with Luke."

Mark, who works at the brickworks in Blockley, said:" He really was all action. There was no stopping him. He loved extremes of everything and the thrill of new things. He was really courageous. People have been telling us all about his exploits.

"He was a very loving character and was loved by kids and older people alike."

His friend, Tad Price, aged 14, said: "I never saw him annoyed or sad. He was very popular and a bit of a comedian - a really fun character."

Luke's friends and schoolfriends held an impromtu candle-lit vigil for him the night after he died.

The 4 Shires Swimming Club paid tribute to Luke saying: "He was a very talented and competitive swimmer - a real source of inspiration to other members of the club because of his dedicated and disciplined approach to the sport, which he adored.

He was particularly proud recently to have broken the one-minute barrier for 100m freestyle."

The swimmers from 4SSC postponed the start of their term as a mark of respect to Luke. They held their first session on Sunday, gathering at Chipping Norton Leisure Centre. Prior to the session, members held hands and held a minute's silence in his memory.

The club is planning to make a permanent memorial to Luke but, in the meantime, many of the members signed a memorial book which will be available at sessions this week.

Luke's sister Sam, aged 13, has set up a website www.samstributetoluke.piczo.com as a tribute to her brother with pictures of Luke and a guest book for people to sign. The coroner adjourned the inquest to a date to be fixed.