A COFFIN bearing a floral tribute in the shape of a red sports car was carried into St Matthias' Church at the funeral of Paul Anthony Kitsull yesterday (Thursday).

The 31-year-old was killed on December 29, together with fiancee Cheryl Lewis, 22, when his beloved Mazda RX7 overturned and hit a barn on the A4104 near Upton. The couple shared a home in Wells Road, Malvern.

Mr Kitsull's family and friends were among 150 mourners who paid their respects. The families of Miss Lewis and of Mr Kitsull's former partner Debbie Baldwin, the mother of his three-year-old son Michael, were also represented.

Tributes written by his parents, Michael and Barbara, and his sister, Lynne, were read out in a ceremony conducted by Rev Graham Lyall.

His parents' tribute, read by Mr Lyall, said: "We will miss him very greatly. We shall all have a gap in our lives."

The reading was from St John's Gospel, chapter 14, and hymns were The Lord Is My Shepherd and He's Got The Whole World In His Hands. One of the couple's favourite songs, Atomic Kitten's You Can Make Me Whole Again, was also played.

The funeral of Cheryl Lewis takes place at Great Malvern Cemetery today (Friday) at 12.30pm.