HUNDREDS of mourners, many of them wearing pink in tribute, attended the funeral in Coatbridge yesterday of murdered six-year-old schoolgirl Alesha MacPhail.
She had been staying with relatives on the Isle of Bute, in the Firth of Clyde, at the start of the summer break. She disappeared from her grandmother's home on July 2 and was found dead in nearby woodland the same day.
Tributes to the "special little girl" were led by her uncle Calum, her father's partner Toni and teachers from Chapelside Primary, in nearby Airdrie, where Alesha had just completed primary two.
Her uncle – who was consoled by Alesha's mother Georgina Lochrane, known as Genie – said: "Alesha is everything that I wanted to be, she was kind, caring, smart, I just cannot believe she is gone.
"She was the brightest thing."
Dozens of bows were tied to the railings of Coats Funeral Home while cuddly toys including teddies and unicorns lined the wall outside.
Family had been piped into the service, most of those in attendance wearing pink, as requested by the family.
Thanks were made to those who have helped the family, with funeral director Fraser MacGregor, who led the remembrance, saying that Alesha's parents had been helped "more than you could know" by the messages of support from the public.
MacGregor added that Alesha will always be remembered as a "very loving girl, friendly, good natured and full of love".
Four members of Alesha's family, including her uncle Calum, carried her pink coffin to the hearse, a white carriage drawn by two white horses with pink feathers and pink drapes.
As the carriage set off those who had left the funeral home lined the streets to form a guard of honour for the hearse which carried the dead girl, followed by a procession of black cars carrying flowers and her family members.
After the service family and friends travelled to the nearby Coltswood Cemetery where Alesha was laid to rest in a private ceremony.
The funeral followed a vigil held earlier this month in Rothesay, on Bute, where hundreds of islanders paid their respects to Alesha, whose father Robert lives locally.
A similar service in Airdrie took place last weekend, led by Robert and Alesha's mother Genie, which saw hundreds of balloons released by friends and family of all ages in remembrance of the popular girl.
An online fundraiser which had been set up to support relatives financially raised almost £13,000 on crowdfunding site GoFundMe.
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