Vigil to be held for Babbs Mill boys
People will gather close to the scene of the tragedy in Solihull to pay their respects.
Last updated 17th Dec 2022
A vigil will be held today (17 December) for the four boys who died after falling into a frozen lake in Solihull.
Brothers Samuel Butler, six, and eight-year-old Finlay Butler, died along with their cousin Thomas Stewart, 11, and ten-year-old Jack Johnson.
They were rescued from Babbs Mill Lake, in Kingshurst on Sunday and rushed to hospital.
The deaths of Finlay, Thomas and Jack were confirmed on Monday, while Samuel died in hospital on Wednesday.
The tragedy has sent shockwaves through the tight-knit community of Kingshurst with a carpet of flowers now laid at a makeshift shrine which has grown up around a tree, near the lake.
Since Sunday night hundreds of people have been bringing candles, bouquets, children's toys, and balloons to the spot, as people struggle to deal with the scale of the loss.
More than £62,000 has been raised in an online crowdfunding campaign set up to support the boys' families.
On Friday night. Birmingham City Football Club held a minute silence before kick-off at St Andrews as a mark of respect to the boys.
Blues' head coach laid a wreath at the memorial on Tuesday, while Aston Villa's Tyrone Mings and club captain John McGinn laid flowers there on Wednesday.
Mings said: "We felt it was important to come down here, show our respects and show we were thinking about everything that has happened and the parents that are affected by it.
"We feel that pain too."
Samuel, Finlay and Thomas's family said they had been overwhelmed by the support from neighbours.
The boys' families also paid tribute to the emergency services, the police, West Midlands Fire Service and West Midlands Ambulance Service, for "all they did in rescuing the boys".
One West Midlands Police officer, a student response officer on one of his first operational rotations, suffered mild hypothermia trying to punch through the ice to reach the children.
One West Midlands Police officer, a student response officer on one of his first operational rotations, suffered mild hypothermia trying to punch through the ice to reach the children.
The boys' relatives said: "As a family we are devastated at the loss of our beautiful boys; Tom, Fin and Sam in such tragic circumstances.
"We would like to thank the emergency services for all they did in rescuing the boys and to the community for their support, it has been overwhelming.
"We would like to pass on our condolences to Jack's family at this very sad time, and ask for privacy from the media to begin to grieve."
Superintendent Rich Harris, of West Midlands Police, said: "This is a tragedy beyond words and a grief that is unimaginable for the families and friends of the boys.
"The support from the community has been overwhelming, not just for the bereaved families, but also for the emergency services, for which we are extremely grateful."