Friends rally to pay for Bristol teen's funeral
Friends of Bristol teenager Troy Atkinson are planning to hold a sponsored walk to help his family cover the cost of his funeral.
They say more than 140 people have already agreed to join the walk at 7pm on Tuesday, exactly one week after the talented rugby player from Hartcliffe was killed in a hit-and-run incident in Bristol city centre.
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Friends rally to pay for Bristol teen's funeral
The group will walk four miles from outside the Castlemead building in Lower Castle Street, the spot where 15-year-old Troy was struck by a car, to his family’s home in Gatcombe Road, Hartcliffe.
Everyone taking part has been asked to pay £5, with all the money going towards the cost of the funeral service which could cost around £3,000.
Troy’s mum Kim said she had been “overwhelmed” by the support the Hartcliffe community had shown her and her family since the accident.
As well as the walk, a fundraising evening was held at a pub on Friday night and a barbecue will be held to raise money on Sunday on the green in Gatcombe Road.
Ms Atkinson said: “The family are overwhelmed by the community’s generosity and what they are planning to do. It’s opened my eyes because I never saw what Troy meant to other people.
“It’s a comfort to know he touched so many people’s lives in different ways.
“I’m learning things about him now I didn’t know before.”
Sarah Veale, 19, who helped organise the walk, and several others will be wearing specially-printed T-shirts on the day.
She will wear a T-shirt with “RIP Troy Littleman” on the front and “Little G” on the back, in reference to Troy being known as “Little Gangster” to his friends.
Miss Veale, who is from Hartcliffe and works in a mobility centre, said: “I thought of the idea of a sponsored walk and mentioned it on a Facebook site which had been set up for Troy.
“By Thursday night, 144 people had responded and said they were interested in taking part.
“We are planning to walk on the road, following a car which will be decorated with balloons and the words ‘RIP Troy’.
“We want everyone to gather on the green in Gatcombe Road at the end.”
Troy died in Frenchay Hospital after suffering severe head injuries when he was knocked down by a car near the junction of Penn Street, Broad Weir and Lower Castle Street at 7pm on Tuesday. The car did not stop, despite the windscreen being smashed in the incident.
Police have arrested an 18-year-old man on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving in connection with the crash. He has been released on bail.
Dozens of bouquets of flowers and messages have been left near the scene of the incident outside the Castlemead building.
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by lauren, bristol
Thursday, May 07 2009, 10:00AM
“omg i have read some of these comments, & some of you got no feelings at all! troy was loved by alot of people. what if it was your son, idiots!! you need to sort it out. we done the walk cus we are his friends and he got taken away from us:( so we wanted to help raise money and give him the best send off! if u got nothing nice to say then go away init:) rest in peace little man! xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx”
by lauren, knowle, bristol
Thursday, May 07 2009, 9:56AM
“rest in peace troy, i miss you so much. you didn't deserve to be taken away from us so soon. you are that star up in the sky. keeep looking down on me troy, aand i'll always be looking up. in my heart forever gorgeous. ILOVEYOUxx”
by ryan, bristol
Wednesday, May 06 2009, 8:55AM
“.R.I.P. TROY
troy your a star up on us all now mate god bless you g
.R.I.P. .T.W.A”
by Lisa-jane Hill & Shannon Inker & Sarah Spouncer, hartcliffe (:
Tuesday, May 05 2009, 9:19AM
“who ever that mark is better stop commenting on here it has nothing to do with him what goes on with the walk, he was a great friend he deserves everything were all doing to support him and help raise money for the funeral.
r.i.p troy babes
xxx”
by charleigh, Bristol
Sunday, May 03 2009, 10:38PM
“i hope i can make it to the walk but if i cant then ide like to give some money. my brother died on the 28th october with my cuson in a car accident i know what troys family are going through. he was such a great boy with thousands of friends! just a shame that it had to be troy :( but hes in a better place now. and for al those people arguing and leaving comments like you are i really dont think this is the place to be doing it, show abit of sympathy and imagine if it was you going through all of this right now, if you dont have anything nice to say then dont say nothing at all. sleep tight troy love always x”
by Jack, Redland
Sunday, May 03 2009, 12:16PM
“Mark you arrogant person. My dad died suddenly a few years ago, 18 months before he was due to retire. He'd worked 6 days a week for almost 50 years, never claimed benefits and still had only £19.00 in the bank when he died. He could not afford life's little extras, and sadly life assurance was one of them. You clearly don't have a clue how the other half live. Leave these people alone. They are doing their best for someone in need of help and support. I wish them all the best.”
by AJ, Bristol
Saturday, May 02 2009, 10:30PM
“I think that its a refreshing change to hear of all these young people being so kind and thoughtful to what seems to have been a well thought of and talented young man. I have a young daughter and god forbid that anything happens to her, as I dont have life cover for her and neither would I have money tor the cost of a funeral!
Best wishes to all the walkers, you will do Troy and his family proud.”
by Mark, Bristol
Saturday, May 02 2009, 9:43PM
“Another thing, 4 miles, hundreds of people walking the street following a car.
I hope someone has already informed the police about this.
Could be costly to the police and a complete nightmare for people trying to drive around the area that they will be walking.”
by Mark, Bristol
Saturday, May 02 2009, 9:39PM
“Lesley, my 3 year old is covered, not just for death but also other health reasons.
Small price to pay for financial piece of mind.”
by lesley woodhouse, withywood bristol
Saturday, May 02 2009, 9:10PM
“to anon and tracy
yes the social does pay for finerals but only if the deceased family are in reciept of benefits themselves my eldest daughter kylee was murdered 5 years ago she herself was on benefits but because myself and my husband both worked they would not pay so we had to pay ourselves as for life insurances who expects their child to die so young and to insure their lives i didnt with kylee i havent with none of my children my thaughts and sympathy goes out to troys family at this sad time i know only too well what it is like to lose a child so young and in such pointless circumstances but it is nice to see that there are so many people out there to support them at this sad time”