‘HE TOUCHED people’s hearts.’ They were the words from grieving father Roy Hallett as hundreds of mourners crowded into the memorial service for teenager David.

Family and friends packed Underhill Methodist Church on Portland to pay their respects to David, 16, who died after his moped collided with a car on December 27.

Three hundred mourners heard Royal Manor Arts College assistant headteacher Martin Gooch read a message from David’s mum Debby Joliffe, who sat nearby in the church.

It said: “I carried you for nine months and you then took another 47 hours to say hello.

“But the gas and air won’t stop the pain this time if you know what I mean.

“You were a typical boy up to mischief and you were happy and loved when you said goodbye. Love from us all.”

David’s brothers Darryl, 12 and Jack, eight, arrived in Arsenal shirts with dad Roy.

A Volkswagen sign was displayed on the end of David’s coffin as a sign of his love for football and cars.

The Rev Christopher Briggs read out a message from Darryl and Jack which said: “You might’ve gone from this world but you’ll never go from where you are in our hearts.

“Rest in peace big bro and love you.”

The coffin arrived to the sound of Take That’s Shine and fellow student Richard Samuel sang You Raise Me Up during the service.

Mr Gooch said it was also fitting to read out David’s leaving message from his time at Weymouth College.

It read: “I would like to say thank you to the people I’ve met and I’m always here in spirit.”

Mr Gooch said a minute’s silence would also take place at the school’s assembly.

Rev Briggs said David touched many people’s lives and they would know him from cooking and delivering for the Codfathers fish and chip shop on Portland.

He said: “There were people of all ages who he built up relationships with and his family held a special place in his heart.

“He had a big personality that appealed to a great age range and he real ly began to blossom.”

After the service David was cremated at Weymouth Crematorium.

The visitors were asked to sign message books as they left and to make donations to Somerset and Dorset Air Ambulance in David’s memory, via Rose Funeral Service in Wyke Regis.

David also leaves behind two other siblings, Rebekah and Nathan James.

Tributes paid to 'a lovely lad'

FAMILY and friends paid tribute to David Hallett at the memorial service at Underhill Methodist Church.

Fellow students arrived and pupils from Royal Manor Arts College turned up in their school uniform.

The Rev Christopher Briggs started the tributes during the memorial and said David brought ‘so much happiness to so many lives so each smile and laugh is a tribute today’.

Richard Long, David’s uncle, said before the service: “David always had a happy and smiling face when he delivered my fish and chips.

“I will always remember him as happy and he was a good nipper.

“He would do anything for anyone.”

David’s grandparents, Peter and Sue Ebdon, travelled from Taunton.

Peter said outside the church: “You always hear about it happening to other families and I don’t know how to come to terms with this to be honest.

“I’m hurting for my child and my child’s child. Very few grandparents live without their grandchildren.

“I’ll never get over this.”

Sue added: “He was a very, very popular lad across all age ranges. Age did not matter to him.”

A collection of David’s teachers arrived at the service to pay their respects.

Assistant headteacher Martin Gooch raised lots of smiles and laughs during the service as he remembered David. He said: “I’m not going to tell you David was a model student and that he was never invited into our office for a full and frank discussion. He was a good listener. David above all else was a tremendous character, after approaching a six-foot tall blonde girl at Weymouth College and asking ‘do you come here often,’ she replied, ‘yes, every day, I am a teacher here.’”

Hundreds of David’s friends crowded into the church and took the chance to talk about David afterwards. Megan O’Donovan, 17, said: “He was always up for a laugh and was always there for everyone.”

Adam Rogers, 17, said: “Even at college he was always up for a laugh and he was constantly making everyone else around him laugh.”

Hannah Mullins, 17, said: “He was in my form for two years so I’ve got good memories of him. He was a lovely friend.”

Gemma Taylor, 14, said: “I thought it would be busy today because he has got hundreds of friends. He was easy to get on with. He was a loving person, very trusting and was always there for you.”

Gemma’s mum, Denise Taylor, 43, said: “He was one of the most genuine kids you could have met, always cheerful.”

Jade Woolley, 16, said he was a joker and added: “He was the class clown and we were good friends. He was very smiley and always had a big grin.”

Jade’s friend, Paige Davies, 16, said: “He always made a joke out of everything and always used to be there for everyone. If you had any problems he would always say ‘come to me’”.

Family friends also remembered David outside the church.

Sharon Walker, 46, said: “He used to live up the road from us and stayed with us when his mum was working. My daughter Rosie saw him before he died and he was just such a friendly and lovely lad.”

Michael Connolly, 48, said: “He was a lovely lad with a cheeky smile. In all the years that I’ve known him he has developed into a nice young man. He will be sadly missed.”

David’s bosses, Steve and Ann Pearce, of Codfathers Fish and Chips in Weston, said they will miss him.

Ann said: “He will never be replaced.

“He was an brilliant little lad and he was fantastic at work. Everybody loved him, he did all the man jobs.

“The customers loved him and I want to thank everyone who has made donations for the air ambulance.”

The hearts he touched

DAVID’S father Roy Hallett, left, paid tribute to his son.

He said: “At the memorial it was a fair turn-out for a little lad so he touched people’s hearts didn’t he.

“When you miss him as a dad and a parent you don’t realise how many other hearts he has touched including the huge number of friends and colleagues.”

He added: “I don’t think David upset anybody in his little life as he did not have time.

“It seems harder to swallow than if it was an older person but it was a tragic accident and we just want to move on.

“We don’t blame anybody and we don’t want anybody to be blamed.

“We just want to move on and everybody else has got to move on.

“We’ve got to live with our grief now.

“He touched a lot of people and I am shocked at how many, bless him.”