THE family of an eight-year-old boy who died after falling into the River Wear have handed over £1,800 to various services that helped in the search for him.

Friends and relatives of Ian Bell have raised £3,300 since he died in April last year.

Ian was playing with friends near his home in Sunnybrow, near Willington, County Durham, when he fell into the River Wear on Friday, April 27, while the river was in spate following heavy rainfall.

A major searched was sparked and Ian’s body was found nine days later trapped underwater beneath a tree-root about three miles downstream from where he fell in.

His family formed a campaign group to improve safety along the river, which included installing lifebuoys on the Wear’s banks and educating youngsters about the dangers of water.

They held a series of events to raise funds to buy emergency equipment and donate to various services who helped in the search.

They have given £1,000 to the Teesdale and Weardale Search and Mountain Rescue Team, who spent 600 man hours searching the river, both on the banks and by boat.

The family have donated £300 to the Special Baby Care Unit at University Hospital of North Durham which looked after Ian’s 18-month-old brother Caleb-Lei, who was born soon before Ian’s death and required extensive medical treatment.

The RNLI and County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service have each received £250 as a thank you for their part in the search for Ian.

The youngster's grandmother Christine Bell said: “We would like to thank everyone who helped in the search for Ian and also everyone who has donated money in his memory.”

The family are also buying an underwater camera to be used in future searches and have bought equipment including kayaks, ropes and harnesses which will be kept at Mrs Bell’s home in case anyone else needs rescuing from the river at Sunnybrow.

A newly resurfaced riverside footpath running between Sunnybrow and Jubilee Fields has been named the Ian Bell Memorial Walk.