This is Derbyshire --
THE lighting of a lantern in a Derbyshire church gateway last night was a poignant moment in a campaign to honour the memory of a 23-year-old man killed in a shooting accident.
Last night's service marked the completion of a project to restore parts of St Andrew's Church, Stanley, to honour Daniel Willetts.
Daniel, who is buried in the churchyard, died when his rifle accidently discharged while out shooting foxes in January 2007.
Family and friends initially donated £750 to the church for a lasting tribute to Daniel and it was decided it would be used towards the restoration of the building's Victorian gates.
To complete the project, £4,000 was raised by family and friends of Daniel and people in the community.
Daniel's mum, Sally, said: "The lantern is like a shining star looking down on us, like Daniel looking down on us. I think Daniel would laugh at us all if he was here now. He was a character, always joking.
"The work has smartened the church up and has made a big improvement for everybody. We've been really looking forward to this day – we have waited four years for it.
"We would like to thank everybody for their help and support. We really appreciate everything that everybody has done."
The Rev Simon White, vicar of Stanley, said the work involved a stone pillar being demolished and rebuilt. The gates, dating back to 1887, were repainted and rehung.
A replica Victorian lantern has been suspended over the gates and a plaque, with Daniel's name and important dates in his life, has been added to the pillar.
Mr White said the project had developed into something far bigger than first envisaged.
He added: "The gateway had been designed to have a lantern hanging from it but has been without one for all of living memory. It became quite a complicated job as we needed to bring electricity from the church to the lantern. We decided that, while the path was going to be dug up, we should have water pipes laid from the gateway to the vestry to bring water into the church."
Mr White praised the family and villagers for contributing to the memorial for Daniel. He said: "It's something lasting for the village. It puts a landmark into Stanley village that has been missing for a long time and it's rather nice that it is a light as every life is a light – a gift from God."
Daniel, of Morley Lane, Stanley, was alone in Stanley Common when his rifle went off, shooting him in the face. He died en route to hospital. Reported by This is 4 hours ago.
THE lighting of a lantern in a Derbyshire church gateway last night was a poignant moment in a campaign to honour the memory of a 23-year-old man killed in a shooting accident.
Last night's service marked the completion of a project to restore parts of St Andrew's Church, Stanley, to honour Daniel Willetts.
Daniel, who is buried in the churchyard, died when his rifle accidently discharged while out shooting foxes in January 2007.
Family and friends initially donated £750 to the church for a lasting tribute to Daniel and it was decided it would be used towards the restoration of the building's Victorian gates.
To complete the project, £4,000 was raised by family and friends of Daniel and people in the community.
Daniel's mum, Sally, said: "The lantern is like a shining star looking down on us, like Daniel looking down on us. I think Daniel would laugh at us all if he was here now. He was a character, always joking.
"The work has smartened the church up and has made a big improvement for everybody. We've been really looking forward to this day – we have waited four years for it.
"We would like to thank everybody for their help and support. We really appreciate everything that everybody has done."
The Rev Simon White, vicar of Stanley, said the work involved a stone pillar being demolished and rebuilt. The gates, dating back to 1887, were repainted and rehung.
A replica Victorian lantern has been suspended over the gates and a plaque, with Daniel's name and important dates in his life, has been added to the pillar.
Mr White said the project had developed into something far bigger than first envisaged.
He added: "The gateway had been designed to have a lantern hanging from it but has been without one for all of living memory. It became quite a complicated job as we needed to bring electricity from the church to the lantern. We decided that, while the path was going to be dug up, we should have water pipes laid from the gateway to the vestry to bring water into the church."
Mr White praised the family and villagers for contributing to the memorial for Daniel. He said: "It's something lasting for the village. It puts a landmark into Stanley village that has been missing for a long time and it's rather nice that it is a light as every life is a light – a gift from God."
Daniel, of Morley Lane, Stanley, was alone in Stanley Common when his rifle went off, shooting him in the face. He died en route to hospital. Reported by This is 4 hours ago.