NEARLY 300 mourners gathered for the funeral of tragic road crash victim Kate Wasyluk yesterday.

Naomi Cassidy

NEARLY 300 mourners gathered for the funeral of tragic road crash victim Kate Wasyluk yesterday.

Crowds of people arrived at Ipswich Crematorium to pay their final respects to Kate who was killed along with her friend Emma Harold, 26, when a car was in collision with them in Foxhall Road, Ipswich, last month.

Among those in attendance at the cremation was Emma's sister Rebecca Harold, who was left with serious injuries following the crash which happened as the three women were walking home from a night out just after midnight on February 21.

Rebecca, 25, had been allowed out of Ipswich Hospital for the day to attend the ceremony and was being pushed along in a wheelchair with a plaster on her leg.

The humanist ceremony, which was to celebrate her life, included modern songs like Heartbeats by Jose Gonzales, Take That's Rule The World, Like A Star by Corrine Bailey Rae, and concluded with Lifted by The Lighthouse Family.

Her father Leon Wasyluk, brother Remy Wasyluk, mum Dot Richardson and boyfriend Matt Lander spoke of their memories of the 25-year-old.

They read poems and expressed their thoughts and feelings about her, describing her as unique, caring, loving, and the family's ray of sunshine.

Celebrant David Mitchell, who led the ceremony, described the incident as “utterly pointless, utterly random, utterly wasteful”.

He added: “It will take time to come to terms with your loss but time is the great healer and there will be a day, not too long coming I hope, when the grief will not be so fierce and the happy memories drive out the bad ones.”

Following the service, Mr Mitchell added: “A humanist ceremony is non-religious. There is more opportunity to talk about the life of the person.

“I said to the people who attended that if the family got through saying their pieces, they deserved a round of applause so that was nice.”

In the wake of her daughter's death, Mrs Richardson described how Kate, of Irlam Road, Ipswich, had originally planned to enjoy a meal at the family home in Chelmondiston on that night but at the last minute decided to go with her friends to the soul music night at St Clement's Sports and Social Club.

As Kate had been involved with St Elizabeth Hospice, the family have asked any donations be made to the charity via Farthing, Singleton and Hastings Funeral Service, Deben House, 650 Woodbridge Road, Ipswich, IP4 4PW.

- Scott Nicholls, 20, of West Villa, Woodbridge Road, Ipswich, has been charged in relation to the crash and has been remanded in custody until his appearance at Ipswich Crown Court for his plea and case management hearing on Thursday, March 19.

A 22-year-old woman from Ipswich, who was also arrested at the scene on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving, was bailed to return to Ipswich police station on March 18.