Dozens of balloons were released from Burnham seafront on Monday evening (August 19th) in memory of the four year-old Dylan Cecil who drowned after falling from the town’s jetty exactly one year ago.
To mark the anniversary of the tragedy, scores of relatives, friends and supporters gathered on the seafront.
Dylan’s parents were among those who released a number of balloons into the sky at 5.58pm, the same time that the accident occurred last summer.
Several of the ballooons featured children’s characters from the game Angry Birds and the movie Cars, which were Dylan’s favourites. Decorated vehicles from the film were also driven onto the seafront.
Rev Graham Witts, vicar of St Andrew’s Church, and Burnham’s Mayor Martin Cox were also in attendance to gave their support to the family.
An inquest held into the tragedy earlier this year was held when West Somerset’s coroner Michael Rose recorded an accidental verdict.
A memorial fund was set up earlier this year to help raise money in memory of Dylan to benefit under-privileged children. Thousands of pounds have been raised so far from a series of fundraising events.
A number of safety improvements have been made in Burnham since last August’s tragedy, including extra signs around the jetty, a new audible warning system at the top of the jetty, and an enhanced lifeguarding service from the RNLI.
Pictured: The scenes on Burnham seafront on Monday (pics Jan Bonus)
