Inseparable in life - together in death

As well as mourning the great loss, the funeral was also a celebration of the lives of Keith Ridding and Robert Boardman who were buried side by side.

The moving ceremony was in keeping with the biblical reference - "so wonderful and dear: together in life, together in death".

Staff and pupils from St James's School, Farnworth, joined the friends and families of the 14-year-olds who died in the accident last week which also killed 15-year-old Nicola Moore.

Nicola's friend Laura England, 15, who fought to save her life despite breaking two bones in her spine when she was thrown from the coach, was out of hospital and hoped to attend the funerals.

The church was packed to capacity and the service was relayed by loud speaker to around 150 mourners gathered outside who came to pay their respects, pay tribute to the lives of the youngsters and share in the grief of families and friends.

The service opened with the hymn, O Lord My God! When I in awesome wonder followed by prayers and the 23rd Pslam, The Lord in My Shepherd.

Peter Morrissey, Leader of the 1st Clifton (St Anne's) Scout where Robert attended recited the Scout Law and explained to the congregation how he kept it. It followed the moving Michael Jackson ballad Ben which was played together with the Eternal Flame sung by Jennifer Kilgariff. The Leader of St Anne's Junior Church, Marlene Savage read one of the lessons at the service conducted by the Rev Peter Barnett.

Mr Barnett, the Priest in Charge at St Anne's paid a moving tribute to the two boys.

He said: "It could be a bit like a Transport cafe when you had Keith and Robert at home together. ??Lots of comings and goings, plenty of talk and activity, computers and videos on the go and - of course eating! Their idea of a great outing treat for something like a birthday was to go for a meal at Kentucky Fried Chicken and then go ice-skating. They would take it in turns to sleep over at each other's homes and the cafe's cook would get into full swing as one mum or the other provided breakfast.

Even that wasn't straightforward - once they had settled on bacon barm cakes it was then a matter of how many they wanted - one, two or three. Then came the discussion about what to have with them: egg (how many?) and/or cheese, tomato sauce. Any mother of young lads will be able to identify with this I'm sure, yet the frustration and hard work of such a breakfast is remembered with love and thanksgiving.

??Robert and Keith have been best friends since they started together at St James' and they have been good for each other. They have complemented one another and each has been able to give something to the other which has enriched the other's life and character. They found common interests as well and were able to discover new and interesting things as they joined in school trips, family holidays or events.

After a time apart they would rush back to be together and share all that had happened. Keith would give Robert the latest item of merchandise from Red Dwarf, Robert would talk about his violin and the music he played with the school orchestra; they had fun on their computers together and had recently found a new common pleasure in watching Monty Python.

Yet it is hard to actually pinpoint how or why their relationship has been so successful; to use a name of one of their common favourite programmes, perhaps it was the "X Factor" - that indefinable thing called friendship which they shared through the adventure of discovery, learning and experimenting and launching into the unknown. These two young teenagers found, in the words of the old cliche, that life is an adventure and they enjoyed it to the full. And it was in the spirit of adventure that they joined in the latest trip to France. On the day of the accident, Robert and Keith were so anxious to go on the same trip, on the same bus, and to be absolutely certain that they sat together.

I'm sure that there was no fear in them that day - the trip was another event to be enjoyed, with more new things to enjoy. The unknown challenge was harder this time and the result of it has tested their families, friends and so many people throughout the country.

Although the outcome of that trip has brought tragedy, the times that Keith and Robert have spent together have been with the love and encouragement of their families. Family life is a most wonderful thing - it is something that can offer love and security and encouragement to try out life's adventure. Robert and Keith each have their own family group with parents, brothers and/or sister, grandparents.

There they have learnt about being a person as they have shared good times, happy times and sad times. For them the natural family has been an important basis for their lives - a starting place and a place to come home to. And now the two families have become closer as they have shared common grief and supported each other in sadness. One parent touching the photo of the other's son and crying while saying 'l loved him too - just like my own.'

But they have also shared in a second family - the family of the school. In the nine years I spent as Team Vicar at St James's New Bury, I shared in many activities and times of worship with the school.

I saw at close range how the staff and pupils inter-related to each other. There was learning, encouragement to discover new things, adventure, correction when required - but all surrounded by caring love. As prospective new pupils came with their parents to the open days, I heard many of them say how good was the school and what a wonderful family atmosphere there was. I have shared with the school when there have been other tragedies - staff and pupils - and have felt the loving support flowing through everyone. When someone said to me that over the last week they had never seen or felt so much love at the school, I wasn't surprised - it is indeed a family where Keith and Robert were being nurtured for their futures. And the school family life was based around a Christian ethic - and that leads to mention a third branch of the family - the Church. Whether it be through worship at school or in attendance at Sunday School or Junior Church or at Communion, these two lads have been part of the world-wide family of the Church of God.

We can be thankful that, in their adventure of life, the spiritual side has not been forgotten. I know that people in churches up and down this land who have never seen or heard of Robert, Keith - and Nicola - are grieving that fellow Christians have experienced such sorrow and grief. This sorrow and grief has also been felt by people all over the nation and the many messages, letters, cards and flowers from so many people and places far away reflect the loss that the nation is feeling. It may be hard to see far beyond the present dark time because our hearts are hardened by the pain we feel. How can we express what we feel for these young parents who have seen their hopes and aspirations for their children torn asunder? We wonder how they and we will ever get over these recent events. As I have contemplated that and wondered what good my words can do, the tears have come to my eyes as well - and I too have felt quite helpless.

But I have also been reminded of another young mother who cradled her son in her arms, who also saw him die and also felt that everything had come to an end. Do you not think that when Mary saw her son Jesus die she did not cry out in agony and ask that same question we have on our lips? But it is here I find help and comfort in that the God in whom I believe offers help in the darkness, for He knows how parents feel when their children die. The incarnation, the coming of God in human form as Jesus encourages me because it means that He is not distant and uncaring, but that, in taking human form, He knows how we feel when we are happy with friends and family and He also knows the frailty of life and has shared loneliness and the sorrow of bereavement and who also has experienced death Himself. Remember the shortest verse in the Bible - "Jesus Wept" - be assured that He weeps with you today!

But even in the midst of anguished questioning of the meaning of what has happened, I continue to believe that faith in Jesus has something positive to offer. Through the crucifixion we have the hope of a glorious resurrection, something wonderfully different in a new kind of life which is ours through the death and resurrection of Jesus. Death is shown not to be the absolute end as it appears, for through the death of Jesus comes victory. I do not want to give the impression that I know all the answers to life's difficulties or why some things happen - I don't, but I do believe that, in the adventure we call living, there is someone there who continues to love us - His family - just as we have thought of how the families of Keith and Robert have loved their children.

We are God's children and He calls us to live a full life with Him accepting the challenges and adventures on offer. And as everything these two young lads did challenged them and helped them to mature and grow, so our Faith, tested through challenge and sorrow, makes life more worth living. It certainly makes it worth going on with, although at present we may not clearly see the way ahead. It is that Christian certainty of the love of Christ and our hope of 'life after life' which enables us to come here today and in the midst of deep sorrow still join in this service of celebration of two young lives

The catchphrase of the Monty Python show is 'And now for something completely different'. That can apply to each new day, to each new part of the adventure, and it can be used to describe the movement from human life, through death, to eternal life in Christ.

Without wishing to sound irreverent, can I hear Robert and Keith saying to each other at this time 'Life was great - and now for something completely different!'"

The staff choir of St James's School sang a Gaelic blessing "Lord Bless You and Keep You" before the boys were buried together. The boys had played together at the Riddings' home in Farnworth the weekend before the fateful trip. They were buried together, wearing their school uniforms containing the items in their pockets before they died.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.