FAMILY and friends are gathering today to say farewell to a "bubbly and beautiful" young Kidderminster woman who was killed in a car crash.

The funeral of Rachel Sugden, of Marlowe Close, is being held today in the town's St George's Church. She died just days before she was due to go on a highly-anticipated holiday to Ibiza.

Rachel was killed instantly when the car she was driving was in collision with one travelling in the opposite direction on the A4189 from Henley-in-Arden to Redditch shortly before 9pm on Sunday, May 20.

The 23-year-old animal-lover, a stock controller with Rushock-based Potter Group, was "happy in her work and just enjoying life", according to her father Alan. She had been due to fly out to Ibiza with a friend three days after the accident.

Mr Sugden, an engineer, was about to fly from Heathrow to Polish capital Warsaw on business when he was called home after receiving the tragic news in the early hours of the following morning.

"Rachel was so excited about going on holiday for the first time since she was 15. She had the chance to go but never made it," he said.

Her brother Aaron, 26, of Wood Street, said Rachel, who went to Offmore First School, Comberton Middle School and King Charles High School, was "caring and approachable" and had many friends in the town.

"We were very, very close. I can't begin to describe how much I loved my sister," he said.

"You read about this sort of thing all the time but never expect it to happen to you."

Rachel was driving a Ford Fiesta XR2 when the collision, with a Volkswagen Golf GTI, happened about half-a-mile from The Dog pub.

The driver of the other car, a 46-year-old Warwick man, was taken to Redditch's Alexandra Hospital with a broken leg, while Rachel's passenger, a friend who has not been named by police, was taken there and discharged.

Rachel's mother Sue said: "She was a chatterbox, so bubbly and beautiful."