Major Manchester property firm pays tribute to director and her son killed in French Alps avalanche

A major Manchester property firm has paid tribute to its director Kate Vokes and her son Archie after they were killed in a French Alps avalanche.

The mother and son, from Manchester, lost their lives after an avalanche swept through an off-piste section of the resort of Saint-Gervais-les-Bains near Mont Blanc on December 28.

Kate, 54, was chair of the Oglesby Charitable Trust, a director of their family-owned property company Bruntwood, deputy chair of the Royal Exchange Theatre and a trustee of charities Shared Health and Focused Care.

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Archie, 22, was a personal trainer at Form in Manchester, and in the previous year had achieved his level 1 ski instructor qualification in Canada.

Now Bruntwood, a property company which offers office and retail space and owns several high-profile buildings in Manchester, has issued a statement on the family’s tragic loss.

A statement reads: “We’re heartbroken to share the tragic sudden loss of Kate Vokes & her son Archie. As Oglesby Charitable Trust Chair, our Non-Executive Director & sister of our CEO, Kate was loved & respected by so many. We will miss them terribly. The family kindly ask for privacy at this time.”

In a statement issued today, a spokesperson for the family said: “We are beyond heartbroken at the loss of our beloved, wonderful Kate and Archie.

“Words cannot express how terrible we all feel nor the hole in our lives that has been left by this tragic accident. We kindly ask for privacy as we grieve together as a family.”

Others took to social media to pay heartfelt tributes. One X, formerly known as Twitter user said: “Just seen the awful awful news about the lovely Kate