More than 7,000 mourners have marked the passing of an inspirational teenage cancer victim on the day a fighting fund he launched topped £4 million.
Through yesterday and into the night at Lichfield Cathedral, thousands filed past the coffin of Stephen Sutton, whose bravery in the face of terminal cancer touched people across the world.
Later today, people are expected to gather at about 11am to take part in a Thumbs Up For Stephen event also at the cathedral before his body is borne away for a private funeral.
The 19-year-old has been accorded a place of honour inside the cathedral since yesterday, after the family requested the public be allowed to celebrate the life of a young man who had urged people to live their lives to the fullest.
Stephen's arrival at the cathedral yesterday, where mourners had been asked not to wear black, coincided with news earlier in the day that more than £4 million in donations had been pledged in his name to the Teenage Cancer Trust.
His inspiration has seen thousands come to pay their respects, sign the books of condolence and light candles in his memory as cathedral officials confirmed that by midnight yesterday no fewer than 7,000 people had been to stand vigil with the coffin.
Earlier, as his hearse arrived, drawn by four white horses resplendent in yellow head dresses, there was spontaneous applause from the crowd.
A bright yellow wreath bearing the icon of a smiley face lay beside the white coffin, while another read 'Ste'.
The teenager's simple determination to live his life, while under the constant shadow of terminal bowel cancer - creating a bucket list and spreading awareness to other young people - saw a campaign to raise £10,000 gain rapid momentum.
Before his death, Stephen, who was diagnosed aged just 15, said: "I don't see the point in measuring life in terms of time any more.
"I'd rather measure life in terms of making a difference."
It was that attitude which earned the highest praise and admiration, including from celebrities like Russell Brand, Simon Cowell, Ricky Gervais and Jason Manford.
Prime Minister David Cameron went to meet Stephen while in hospital, and following his death on May 14, said: "I'm deeply saddened to hear that Stephen Sutton has died.
"His spirit, bravery and fund-raising for cancer research were all an inspiration."
In a special request from Stephen's mother Jane, she has asked people to join in a Thumbs Up event on the cathedral's green, and "do something to make others happy".
Teenage Cancer Trust chief executive Siobhan Dunn said Stephen's memory would "never be forgotten" because it would live on through the charity's work.
She added: "I think it's really important there's a public celebration of Stephen's life and I think that's exactly what he would have wanted."
Paying tribute at yesterday's service, the Dean of Lichfield, the Very Reverend Adrian Dorber, told gathered mourners Stephen "in his all too brief life" had taught "how to make the unacceptable, beautiful".
He added: "He chose to share his exuberance with us, not his pain.
"Stephen's been an inspiration and we all want to share in the sense of grateful, hopeful possibility."
Turning to the purpose of the vigil, he said: "Rituals and gestures don't change the world by themselves.
"But they can change us, and we can change the world."
Julia Hayburn, assistant headteacher at Stephen's former school, Chase Terrace Technology College, told of how, when he was first diagnosed, the "determined" teenager's immediate reaction was to call a meeting with teachers because he refused to take doctors' advice to "forget his Year 11 study".
He instead successfully completed his GCSEs and AS-levels, she said.
"Words like awesome, awe-inspiring and inspirational became synonymous with Stephen - but they only touched the surface of what he has become on a national and international scale," said Mrs Hayburn
The Dean invited the congregation to mark Stephen's life as he would have wanted, including giving the "thumbs-up" sign that has become the symbol of the teenager's campaign.
In a touching moment, Stephen's mother and his brother Chris shared broad smiles as, fighting back the tears, they raised their digits to the white coffin on top of the stone dais, surrounded by yellow and white flowers.
As a seemingly endless stream of mourners, young and old, some smiling, many wiping their eyes, then took their place to honour Stephen, a compilation of the brave campaigner's favourite music played.
Among the people who queued were Celia Houghton and her 14-year-old daughter Freya, who had attended Stephen's school.
The teenager remembered a powerful speech the young man gave at assembly a year ago, saying "he was one person who stood out".
"The one thing that spoke to me was when he said 'don't measure time by the clock, measure it by what you do'," added Freya.
"When he died, people cried at school.
"I remember walking along the corridor and people were using Post-It notes to stick goodbye messages on the wall."
Mrs Houghton, wearing a yellow ribbon and wristband, said that although she never met Stephen his death had had a profound impact.
"I bawled my eyes out when I heard," she said. "I never usually give to charity but I did for him.
"I just wish he had been my son - I wish I was half the person he was."
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/thousands-pay-tribute-stephen-234810620.html
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