Hundreds of mourners have gathered to pay their respects to a talented teenage canoeist who was killed while shooting some of Tayside”s most notorious rapids.
Simon Fletcher became trapped under a rock in the fast-flowing River Tay at Grandtully while training on April 7.
Dozens of kayaking enthusiasts, all wearing their canoe club shirts, joined his family and friends at his funeral.
His coffin, laden with spring flowers in orange and yellow, was carried into St Mary’s Church, in Stockton, while the church bell tolled. After the service, tearful mourners stood silently as Mr Fletcher’s coffin was driven away.
Mr Fletcher-known as Sim and a canoe polo under 21 internationalist-was a member of the Tees Tigers, a canoe polo and slalom club.
His twin brother Matthew, a fellow internationalist, was in Perthshire with him when tragedy struck.
A frantic rescue operation was instigated after Simon’s canoe capsized.
However, efforts to remove him from the turbulent waters were fraught with difficulty and his body was finally dragged from the raging torrent some 28 hours after he became stuck.
Simon’s coach, Nicky Cresser, a member of the British squad, paid tribute to the much-loved teenager.
“Any positive word you can think of kind, caring, friendly they all applied to him,” he said.
“He was always 100% positive. He was a really warm person who could get on easily with anyone.
“There was just nothing negative to say about him.”
Mr Cresser said Simon’s death would be particularly hard for Matthew to come to terms with.
“He was so enthusiastic,” the coach continued. “He and his brother were very dedicated.
“They had a rivalry, but it was friendly competition. They were always really pleased for the other one if they won something.”