Funeral to be held for Coventry boy killed in hit-and-run
Mourners are invited to wear sky blue in memory of Keaton Slater
Last updated 30th Jul 2024
The funeral of a 12-year-old boy from Coventry, who died in a hit-and-run last month, is taking place in the city's cathedral today.
Hundreds of mourners are expected to attend the service for Keaton Slater, who was killed on Radford Road on Friday 14 June.
It will take place at Coventry Cathedral at midday today (30 July), followed by a private committal for close family and friends.
All mourners have been asked to be seated inside by 11:50am.
Following the Cathedral service, attendees are welcome to return to the Radford Social Club from 3pm onwards to celebrate Keaton's life, whilst the family and close friends attend the committal.
Mary Gregory is one of the priests at Coventry Cathedral.
She said: “Soon after Keaton died, I received a telephone call from his uncle to ask, would the cathedral be able to help? Would we be able to offer our support? And I said, of course, absolutely. If that's what the family want.
“The next day, I went down on to Radford Road, where the terrible accident happened, and I met Keaton's mum and dad. These things must be led by the family, so we just wanted to respond to what they needed. But we're really honoured and very pleased to be able to offer space to the family into the city for this occasion.”
Canon Gregory continued: “Since Keaton died, the people of Coventry have absolutely taken his family to their hearts. People have really wanted to express their love and their support. So, we think there could be many hundreds of people there and we've got space for anybody who wants to come. And I think the message from the family is very much that if people want to come, they're welcome.
“Everybody just has so much compassion for the family. Many of us may have nieces or nephews or children around the same age and it's really unimaginable what they must be going through. But people just want to do something, I think.”
Police are still looking for Dolars Aleksanders - the man they believe was behind the wheel of the black BMW going well over the speed limit.
Hear all the latest news from across the UK on the hour, every hour, on Greatest Hits Radio on DAB, smartspeaker, at greatesthitsradio.co.uk, and on the Rayo app.