DOZENS of skaters came together to mark the 16th birthday of a popular youngster who died earlier this year.

Kyle Hull, from Darlington, suffered serious injuries after falling from a roof at Darlington Cattle Market in April and died a few days later.

Sunday (October 4) would have been his 16th birthday and family friends, sisters Louise McAfee and Elizabeth Kearney, organised an event to celebrate Kyle's life.

It was held at 4Motion indoor skate park, on Faverdale Industrial Estate, which was one of Kyle's favourite places to spend time with friends.

Professional skaters Luke and Nathan Churchill, from Middlesbrough, attended the event, giving demonstrations and holding competitions for different age groups.

A Kyle Hull memorial trophy was competed for and Mrs Kearney said a skate competition would be held every year, around Kyle's birthday, as just one way of keeping his memory alive.

Other ways have included a permanent memorial at the skate park in South Park, close to Kyle's home on the Skerne Park estate.

The close-knit community was rocked following the loss of Kyle and 18-year-old mechanic Tyrone Singh within a few days.

Another memorial was held in South Park on Sunday afternoon, where friends rode skateboards and scooters and wore T-shirts with tributes to Kyle.

Hundreds of pictures of the teenager adorned the walls of 4Motion for Sunday's gathering.

Mrs Kearney said the owners of 4Motion, which is housed in a former warehouse, had given the venue free of charge for the event.

She said: "Every year around Kyle's birthday, we will have a skate competition in his memory.

"It's great that 4Motion have given us the place for today.

"It would have been Kyle's 16th birthday and it would also have been Tyrone's 19th birthday.

"It's heartbreaking for everyone involved."

A raffle was held, with funds raised to be split between an appeal to buy a headstone for Kyle and a charity to be chosen by the teenager's mother, Michele.

Prizes including a smartphone, skate equipment and cupcakes were donated by businesses including Rachel Hull who secured the phone from EE, as well as skate shop The Chaos, Andy's Candy Bar, Sweet Tooth, Premier Stores and Lady Fatpants Cakes.