THE mother of Witchford teenager Darryl Manchett has paid tribute to her incredible son and talked exclusively to the Ely Standard about the moment she said she loved him as he lay injured in the road. The 15-year-old and a group of friends were cyclin

THE mother of Witchford teenager Darryl Manchett has paid tribute to her "incredible" son and talked exclusively to the Ely Standard about the moment she said she loved him as he lay injured in the road.

The 15-year-old and a group of friends were cycling through Wentworth on July 25 when Darryl was hit by a car on a sharp bend in Church Lane. He was rushed to Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge but died of his injuries the following morning.

Darryl's mother Sue Farrington was at home at Manor Close in Witchford when she received the phone call just after 9pm telling her Darryl had been in an accident.

"I was at home when I got a phone call from one of Darryl's friends telling us what had happened, we managed to get over to him before the ambulance arrived and I was able to tell him I loved him before they took him to hospital.

"It has been a week since we lost Darryl and it has gone so quickly, I keep thinking he has just gone over to stay with a friend for the week and he will be coming back in soon.

"We miss him being around the house. He was a normal teenager who loved to hang out with friends and play on his Xbox and that is what we will miss."

The teenager, who was a pupil at Cromwell Community College in Chatteris, has been described by his family as an "incredible person, who was very polite, easy going and thankful" with an "unforgettable smile".

The family have received overwhelming support from friends and neighbours with dozens of cards, flowers and messages left at both the family home and the scene of the accident.

The teenager was studying food technology, resistant materials and additional science on top of his normal subjects at school but took a particular liking to maths and science, subjects in which he excelled,

"He didn't know what he wanted to do when he was older but he liked science and maths and we were always getting letters home from school saying how he had done well and met his targets, said Sue.

Darryl's older sister Katie, 17, said: "He was an amazing brother and an amazing son with an unforgettable smile. He loved being an uncle to his little nephew who we will make sure never forgets him."

Chris Terry, vice-principal at Cromwell Community College, said: "We were very proud to have had Darryl as a student and equally as proud of all that he achieved."

Darryl's funeral will take place on Friday (August 7) at 10am at St Andrew's Church, Witchford. Anyone wishing to make donations to the Addenbrooke's Paediatric Intensive Care Unit will be able to do so at the service.