Memorial service to tragic student
A MEMORIAL service has been held to celebrate the life of tragic student Alex Richardson, who died after plunging through a shop skylight following a night out.
Russell Claydon
A MEMORIAL service has been held to celebrate the life of tragic student Alex Richardson, who died after plunging through a shop skylight following a night out.
Leading personalities from the horse racing world were amongst 450 mourners who packed out a Newmarket church to pay their respects to the son of Chris Richardson, the managing director of the Cheveley Park Stud.
Champion jockey Kieren Fallon was at the St Mary's Church service on Friday along with fellow jockey Ryan Moore and trainers James Fanshawe, John Gosden and Sir Mark Prescott to say a final farewell to the 21-year-old.
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Alex was in his third year of a French and Spanish degree at the prestigious St Andrews University in Scotland when the tragic accident occurred at the end of last month, following a night out partying with friends.
He suffered serious brain injuries after falling through a business premises skylight and after initially being released from hospital, lapsed into a coma and later died.
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A collection in memory of Alex was made for brain injury charity Headway at the memorial service.
Alex's godfather, Martin Mitchell, a director of Tattersalls racehorse auctioneers, spoke of Alex's great sense of humour and said he showed “a depth of thoughtfulness and understanding rare in one so young”.
The student's heartbroken family paid tribute to their son, describing him as a bubbly character who had many friends and had been enjoying the time of his life.
“Alex was a fun-loving character with a great appetite for life and he just loved St Andrews,” they said. “He had the happiest time of his life there.
“He had so many friends here who have been such a wonderful support to us. It has been a great comfort to us that he was surrounded by his closest friends during this hugely difficult time and we are very grateful to them, to the university and to the university chaplain, Jamie Walker, for everything they have done.”
They added words could not describe the pain they have gone through following his untimely death.
“It is simply impossible to describe how deeply we feel his tragic loss and how much we will miss him. We all wish we could rewind time,” they said.
Anyone wishing to put in their own donation can do so through funeral directors Southgate of Newmarket.
