The town of Ledbury was united in grief as its community remembered a "remarkable family" which tragically lost three members in the M56 minibus crash.

More than 1,000 people turned out to a special thanksgiving service at St Michael & All Saints Church in Ledbury yesterday to pay their respects to Martin and Denise McCoig Lees, who ran the Homend paper shop, and their nine-year-old son Ryan.

Overturned

Leading the mourners were brothers Richard, aged 15 and Matthew, 19, who attended a funeral service earlier in the day at Hereford crematorium.

Richard was travelling with his parents and his younger brother Ryan to Manchester Airport when the minibus overturned on Thursday, July 11, killing seven people including the driver.

They were heading on a once-in-a-lifetime holiday to Florida. Police are still trying to establish what happened.

The Rev Dr Colin Beevers led yesterday's service, which included several touching readings, the hymns Jerusalem and Love Divine, and Ronan Keating's song When You Say Nothing At All.

Celia Naylor, head teacher at Ledbury Primary School, which Ryan attended, described the nine-year-old as a "mature, cautious and independent young boy". She read out some of his schoolfriends' memories of Ryan.

"The community has been deeply affected by this terrible tragedy, as has the whole country," said Mr Beevers.

"The family themselves are bearing up surprisingly well.

"They are giving each other a lot of support and are enormously thankful to everyone for the kindness they are showing at this sad time."

One of the mourners paying his respects was Ledbury resident Tony Smith. Mr Smith, works at the Feather's Hotel in the town.

"I used to buy my paper from them every day and I got to know Martin in particular quite well," he said, close to tears.

"They were lovely people and for three of them to be killed in this way is just heartbreaking. I know it will take the town a long time to get over them, and the family will never do so."