A vigil was held for the four boys who died after falling into a frozen lake, as hundreds of people turned out at Babbs Mill Park in Kingshurst, in the West Midlands, to pay tribute to the victims. As tributes were left, there was a two-minute silence, before applause and then a choir burst into heart-felt song.

 

Finlay Butler, 8, his cousin Thomas Stewart, 11, and Jack Johnson, 10, died in hospital on Sunday, before Finlay's brother Samuel Butler, 6, died on Wednesday. Many of those at the vigil said it had caused them think of children in their own families.

One local resident said: "I think it's just important to show that even though we're not close to the community itself, that everybody's here for the families that are affected and that we can all come together in such a difficult time." Another added: "My heart's breaking for the parents, I just think it's awful."

An online fundraising page for the families of the boys has raised more than £66,000. An inquest into the deaths of the four boys is due to open tomorrow morning.