By Juliette MaxamA POPULAR teenage boy who was killed in a road accident outside his school has been laid to rest in a tranquil churchyard.More than 300 mourners, including many school pupils, packed into St Michael and All Angels Church, Galleywood, yesterday for the funeral of Tomas Wren.

By Juliette Maxam

A POPULAR teenage boy who was killed in a road accident outside his school has been laid to rest in a tranquil churchyard.

More than 300 mourners, including many school pupils, packed into St Michael and All Angels Church, Galleywood, yesterday for the funeral of Tomas Wren.

The 13-year-old died after he was involved in a collision with a motorbike as he crossed the road outside Great Baddow High School on April 26.

A procession followed the funeral from Tomas' home in Watchouse Road, Galleywood, to the church, led by family and mourners.

Tomas was the youngest of seven children. His sister, Jasmin, sang a song during the service,and his brother, Marco, read a moving tribute written by their mother, Ame.

It said: "For a mother, this is especially hard. I would love to say to Tomas 'Get up and be alive again', but that's not possible. When I think of Tomas I feel some hope for the future, hoping I will see him again."

Speaking through Marco, Mrs Wren said she had been so proud and happy when Tomas had been born she had felt she had laid a golden egg.

"I can see the golden egg is no more. It has cracked. I look at the broken egg and I cry, but at the same time I believe the empty shell has come undone and a beautiful bird has come out and opened its wings," she added.

"I see him fly straight into the blue, pink and yellow sky and straight into heaven."

Stephen White, a teacher at Great Baddow High School, also paid tribute to the teenager.

"Tomas was a very special person. He was funny, he was kind, he was thoughtful, he was caring," he said.

"I'll always remember him. We were lucky to know him. He was a special boy who came from a special family."

After the service, mourners were given an envelope including a picture of Tomas, a copy of the bible reading and a packet of sweet pea seeds to plant in memory of the teenager, whose ambition had been to become a landscape gardener.

n A 17-year-old boy from the Chelmsford area was arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving in connection with the fatal collision with Tomas and was freed on police bail until June 17.

juliette.maxam@eadt.co.uk