Hundreds of mourners turned out to pay their respects to a talented 15-year-old who could "light up a room".

Owen Kinghorn's well-attended funeral took place today at St Mary's Church in Great Chart, Ashford.

The popular Towers School pupil, who was a talented footballer, was found dead in a field last month, sparking scores of tributes across the town.

Pupils from Year 11 were given special dispensation to attend the service, which was led by The Rev Cathie Aldis-Saunders.

Also among the attendees were his teachers, teammates and family - including his mum and dad, Rachael and John, older brother Joe, grandparents David and Judy, and his great grandmother.

A light drizzle appeared just before the start of the service, which featured songs such as Bright Eyes by Art Garfunkel, and Lose Yourself by Eminem.

David recounted his memories of Owen, saying: "Standing here, I see a huge number of people of all ages and backgrounds.

"For us today, in this beautiful church, Owen's very special.

"The tributes have been many and many were in the public domain.

"His smile, it could light up a room.

"When I wasn't feeling bright and bubbly, I asked him to give me that Owen smile and he'd make it a lovely place to be."

In the wake of his death, Owen's family have thrown their weight behind a fundraising effort in support of The Kenward Trust in a bid to raise awareness of substance misuse.

The charity, through its Think Differently campaign, informs schoolchildren about the negative impact drugs can have, taking ex-prisoners into schools to tell pupils about their experiences.

So far, a JustGiving page set up in Owen's memory has raised more than £1,850.

David added: "He had a great sense of humour and an ability to come out with one-liners or one word and make us laugh.

"Any number of tributes from his class and teammates said he was kind.

"He knew what to say to make people feel better.

"He could be very cheeky and direct in his comments, unfortunately not always appreciated. He was intensely loyal.

"We shouldn't pretend Owen was a saint.

"He saw our world through a completely different perspective, he was in many ways a square peg in a round hole.

"In physical form, Owen's now gone from us but I know he's around us all.

"He's gone from being a free spirit to a freed spirit."

A talented centre-back, Owen had only recently left Kennington Juniors to join Folkestone Invicta, but his former Kennington coach, Tim Hanley, also paid tribute to the Arsenal fan.

Speaking at the funeral, Mr Hanley noted his rapid improvement and the focus he showed when setting his mind to a task or match.

Ending the service, Somewhere Over the Rainbow was played as Owen's coffin was taken for a private interment.

Many of the 250-plus attendees left the church in tears and hugging each other.

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