Leukaemia victim Jonathan Clark was buried yesterday alongside the teddy bear he had owned since he was just two days old, writes Stephen Deal.

So many friends and relatives turned up at the 11-year-old's funeral that many had to stand outside the Headington Cemetery chapel while the service took place.

Jonathan, of Fettiplace Road, Barton, had touched the hearts of hundreds pf people, including many Oxford Mail readers, during his 20-month battle against cancer. He finally lost the fight on May 10, just a month after being given a bone marrow transplant. Two of his friends at Oxford's Bayswater Middle School - 11-year-olds Candice Noonon and Gemma Clare - read the 23rd Psalm during the service. Headteacher Clive Lambert, thanked Jonathan for the joy he had brought to so many lives.

He said: "No-one ever recalls a complaint from him, he didn't moan or even talk about his illness. He just got on with being like everyone else."

As well as friends and relatives, other mourners included families of children whom Jonathan met during his long stays at the John Radcliffe Hospital and London's Royal Marsden Hospital. Jonathan's dad, Gary, 42, wants to set up a trust fund offering financial support to families of other long-term hospital patients in Oxford.

Jonathan first hit the headlines when it was revealed that the youngster had been refused disability living allowance because officials said he could walk 75 yards.

After the Oxford Mail had put pressure on the Benefits Agency, the decision was reversed.

Story date: Wednesday 19 May

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