A STREAM of thick green smoke poured from the top of the hearse carrying the much-loved teenager as it paused at the spot where he had sat so many times during the course of his short life.

With the market town of Chester-le-Street, and the surrounding fields and hills of County Durham, sprawled out before him, Jamie McKitten would sit on the carved wooden seat at The View Finder and think the mother he lost as a young boy.

But Friday morning would be his last visit and the last time he would leave Great Lumley, the village where he grew up.

A spontaneous applause rippled through the crowd of some 500 people who had gathered to pay their respects to the 17-year-old, many of them, like him, in their teens.

Young mourners leave their floral tributes for Jamie McKitten

Young mourners leave their floral tributes for Jamie McKitten

It was unusual, but moving, to see so many young men clutching bouquets of flowers and they swarmed around a flat bed trailer to make sure their floral tributes to JMAC, as he was known, were included.

The funeral cortege paused for several minutes of quiet reflection as people hugged, wept and said their own personal ‘goodbye’ to the lad who, it was said, would light up the room.

The silence, as the procession moved on, was punctuated only by the roar of a motorcycle engine as the rider tore in front and pulled a wheelie in salute to the youngster.

The huge turnout for Jamie shows how well thought of he was and the deep sadness at his tragic death on the railway in Chester-le-Street last month.

Many people were overcome with grief in Great Lumley

Many people were overcome with grief in Great Lumley

His family said he suffered from ongoing mental health problems as a result of seeing his beloved mother, Kelly, killed by his father, Stuart Cummings, when he was just four years old.

Many people wore green clothing, or carried green balloons, to reflect their recognition of the hidden mental health issues so many people face and to raise awareness of suicide.

If only Jamie could have seen how many people cared for him, or the profound impact his untimely death would have on so many others.

His body was taken in a green coffin with flowers spelling out ‘Jamie’ and ‘JMAC’ down through Chester-le-Street, along the A167 to Durham Crematorium where a service was led by Humanist Celebrant Allyson Hayter.

Covid restrictions mean the numbers inside were limited but a live stream meant family and friends could follow the proceedings.

Mourners were reminded of how, despite the most heartbreakingly hard start in life, Jamie, who was raised by his grandparents, Shelley and Joe, with brother Ross, had a happy childhood filled with many treasured memories.

Despite the troubles he had experienced personally, Jamie had lived life to the full and brought so much joy and laughter to those around him.

READ MORE: Click here to read the eulogy in full 

During the eulogy, Ms Hayter said: “We all know that tragically when Jamie was only four years old he suffered perhaps the biggest trauma any child could ever suffer, in the loss of his mam in horrific circumstances.

“And that is something that can’t have failed to affect the rest of his life.

“It’s at times like this that we most need the love and support of our family members and Jamie was fortunate, I think in the sense that he had his brother and his grandparents, and they were able to offer some solace, and provide a loving and stable home for Jamie. And so that is what they did.

“One thing that Jamie has never been short of throughout his life, was love.”

The song he said he wanted played at his wedding, was instead the one that was played for his funeral – What a Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong.

Jamie McKitten

Jamie McKitten

The service included a poem written by his cousin, which ended with the following words:

“His memory will live on,

"As we turn hearts and ribbon green,

"For Jamie Scott McKitten,

"Forever 17.”