The South East Coast Ambulance Service has released a message from the parents of Alice Clark, the 21-year-old medic who died in an horrific crash on the A21 near Sevenoaks earlier this month.

The message was put out on the organisation's social media account and reads: "Thank you so much to everybody for the tributes to our beautiful darling daughter, Alice.

They added: "We are overwhelmed, honoured and comforted by the messages of love and support.

"Alice and her brother are the lights of our life and to have her taken from us so soon seems so unfair when she had so much left to give personally and professionally and also many of life's rich experiences left to enjoy.

"We take solace in the fact that Alice was doing what she loved at the time that she passed away - we are so proud of her and what she achieved and had already experienced in her all too short life. We miss her dreadfully."

Miss Clark, from Newington, near Sittingbourne, was a former pupil of Rainham Mark Grammar School. She went to the University of Greenwich to study to become a paramedic, graduating in July 2021.

She had only joined the South East Coast Ambulance Service in November, less than two months before the fatal accident when her ambulance was in a collision with a cement lorry on the Sevenoaks bypass.

She had been based at the ambulance depot in Paddock Wood.

A male colleague in the ambulance with her is still in hospital but is said to be stable and on the road to recovery, while a trainee paramedic, who received head injuries, was treated and discharged.

The driver of the cement lorry sustained only minor injuries.

Miss Clark's parents went on to say: "The wonderful support that we are receiving from family, friends and the emergency service family is providing us with great comfort during our darkest hours and we cannot put into words how much we appreciate this.

"We would also like to send our love and best wishes to Alice's crew-mates from last Wednesday evening and to all of those involved in helping Alice, and them, in the aftermath of this terrible tragedy as they are undoubtedly suffering too."

They added: "Please stay strong and know that we will be forever grateful."

Yasmin Bekir, who was together with Alice at university, has set up a GoFundMe page to support the family.

It has already raised nearly £11,000.

You can donate by clicking here.