Town turns red as funeral held for 10-year-old Man United fan Poppy Atkinson

The home town of avid Manchester United supporter Poppy Atkinson turned red in memory of the youngster tragically killed in a collision with a car on a sports pitch.

The family of the 10-year-old from Kendal, Cumbria, requested that mourners at her funeral service, and those lined on surrounding roads to pay their respects, wear red, or any football shirt.

People watched on in silence, some wiping away tears, as the cortege passed en route to Monday’s service.

The youngster’s coffin sported a poignant artist’s impression of the youngster, with a football by her side, in a poppy field looking ahead to Old Trafford’s “Theatre of Dreams” stadium with the sun on the horizon.

Poppy’s parents, Ben and Clare, and seven-year-old brother Edward, joined other family members and friends in the congregation at Kendal Parish Church.

Also in attendance were players and officials from local junior football teams, with many wearing Manchester United shirts with the number 10 and Poppy on the back.

Mourners formed a “guard of honour” in the church grounds where earlier four young boys with “Poppy” football shirts kicked around a football.

Inside, tributes to the talented footballer were read out by her parents, her headteacher at Old Hutton CE Primary School, Nick Turley, and one of her local football coaches, Corey Smith.

Classmates from the school’s choir sang a pop medley for the congregation in her honour.

Other music played was Anna Kendrick’s Get Back Up Again from The Trolls movie soundtrack, Can You Die From A Broken Heart? by Nate Smith and Avril Lavigne and the service’s closing tune Beautiful Things by Benson Boone.

On the front of the order of service was a photograph of Poppy playing football with the accompanying message