Wednesday, August 14, 2024 –The heartbroken family of a 15-year-old girl who drowned to d3ath has been thrown into mourning.
According to Mail Online, Holli Smallman was
playing on the banks of the River Seven when a group of teenagers went in
during the recent warm weather and vanished under the water.
She was in the 220-mile long River Severn at Welshpool, mid-Wales, when she
went missing last Friday and her body was found three hours later.
Her family paid tribute to 'loving and
caring' Holli who they said lived a life 'full of song and dancing' and warned
of the dangers of entering the water.
Holli's family said: 'We are so heartbroken and would never want any other
family to go through the pain that we are going through.
'The dangers of water have been brought home
in a way that no one can imagine and we plead with children and parents to take
the utmost care when near open water.'
They said: 'We wish to express how
heartbroken we are by the tragic passing of our loving and caring girl Holli.
The overwhelming grief and heartache devastates us all.'
Her loved ones said she was a 'beloved
sister, daughter, and granddaughter' as well as a 'popular pupil at Welshpool
High School' and the local army cadets.
They added: 'Holli was fun-loving and lived a life full of song and dancing,
had an infectious joy for life and her positive and lovable cheeky nature made
an impact on everyone she ever met.
'She had her whole life ahead of her and
there will be a hole in our lives that will never heal, and we will never
forget the amazing person that Holli was.
'She loved her family, and she loved her
friends and showed that every day.
'We are all so overwhelmed by the outpouring
of support and kindness shown to us as a family and we thank you all for the
messages and gestures made to us from everyone in the community. We have seen
your messages which have meant so much to us.
'We also have in our hearts and minds the friends who were with Holli that
tragic day. The support and compassion shown to us from the community, we
extend to them in this unimaginable time, and they are all in our thoughts.'
'We also want to express our heartfelt thank
you to all of the emergency services and rescue teams who did all they could to
help Holli on that evening and the NHS staff at Telford who have been so
supportive.'
Dyfed-Powys Police confirmed the teenager
recovered was Holli Smallman from Welshpool after a multi-agency search.
A spokesperson said: 'Specialist officers
are supporting the family and our thoughts remain with them at this difficult
time.'
Town councillor Alison Davies, who is also a
governor at Welshpool High School, said: 'On behalf of all the governors, we're
very, very saddened by this news.
'It's tragic. I say that as mother and
grandmother. The loss of a child is always tragic, but this was a very sad
accident when a group of teens were playing in a river.
'People have known her and her family for a
long time. Things will never be the same to those whom she was close.
'In small communities like this it really
does hit a bit harder because everybody is probably closer.'
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