Hundreds gather for funeral of Jay Slater who died in Tenerife

About 500 people attended a funeral service held for British teenager Jay Slater, who died while on holiday in Tenerife.

Friends and family of the 19-year-old from Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire, were pictured following a horse-led hearse as it arrived at the chapel at Accrington Crematorium.

At the wishes of the family, most wore the colour blue as a sign of respect to the teenager including his work colleagues from PH Build Group, where he was an apprentice bricklayer, who wore T-shirts that read “forever 19” on the front.

Meanwhile, a crowd of mourners watched the ceremony outside under umbrellas as a big screen was put up especially for the service.

Mr Slater’s disappearance on 17 June sparked a major 29-day search and widespread publicity until his body was found in the Juan Lopez ravine.

He had been in Tenerife to attend the NRG music festival with two friends, and his last known location was the Rural de Teno Park in the north of the Canary Island, which was about an 11-hour walk from his accommodation.

The teenager was remembered in a tribute from his family as a “cherished brother” and “loyal friend to many” who loved music and dancing.

The back of an order of service for the funeral also read: “If there was anyone dancing on the way to the other side, it was him.”

‘Always had a smile on his face’

During the ceremony Mr Slater’s mother, Debbie Duncan, father Warren Slater, and elder brother, Zak, listened as memories of his junior footballing exploits at Huncoat United – where he played from aged six to 17 – and his days at West End Primary School and Rhyddings High School were shared.

Stuart Holt, manager of Huncoat United, described Mr Slater as a “natural footballer” who “always played with a smile on his face and was just happy with the ball at his feet”.

While funeral director Sarah Barton told the congregation that Mr Slater made “solid and loyal” friendships throughout his time at school.

“There are simply too many friends to mention,” she said. “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.”

Ms Barton added: “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.”

Instead of flowers at the service, Mr Slater’s family asked if well-wishers could donate to LBT Global, an overseas crisis support charity, which supported them after he went missing on the Spanish Island.

A post-mortem examination found Mr Slater died of traumatic head injuries, consistent with a fall from height.

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The Spanish Civil Guard said the teenager could have fallen in the steep and inaccessible area of the ravine where he was discovered.

The search also sparked a host of conspiracy theories online, including a number of Facebook groups dedicated to the case.

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