SCHOOL children cried and hugged each other at the funeral of their 15-year-old classmate.

Dozens of young pupils joined the family and friends of Joel Corner to pay tribute to a "wonderful, beautiful child".

Joel died in an horrific accident last week, which also claimed the lives of his "soul mate" Daniel Wright, 15, and The Press van driver Peter Alexander.

At a packed service at St Oswald's Church, in Fulford, York, Joel's devastated dad, Lee, wept as he remembered his son.

He told mourners: "Our beautiful brown-haired child has moved on to the next life - but our emptiness will continue until the day we die.

"It's a high price to pay when you lose someone close to you, especially when you lose them in an incident like we have lost you, Joel, our wonderful, beautiful child."

Joel's uncle, Nathan, read out a message to his nephew. He said: "I was looking forward to you and me spending more time together. Now we have to wait until that will happen - but it will be worth the wait. I love you, Joel. Happy birthday."

Joel, a pupil at Archbishop Holgate's School, would have turned 16 last Tuesday.

The Rev David Goodhew conducted the service. He said: "Barely a week ago, Joel was alive, and now after a moment's foolishness he is dead, and with him his friend, Danny, and an innocent passerby. A loss as great as this is not something to be simply got over. It will be always with you.

"Joel's family told me how one of his catchphrases was 'love you' - not the average statement a 15-year-old lad would come out with."

Hannah Turvey, Joel's head of year at Archbishop Holgate's, said: "We are all deeply shocked and greatly saddened. Even now, it feels as though he is just a little bit late for school after the Easter holidays."

Miss Turvey read aloud comments from a memorial book signed by Joel's classmates. One friend had written: "I remember coming into the maths classroom and not knowing anyone, and sitting in the back of the room on my own. You invited me to sit next to you. I asked you what work we were doing and you said 'I'm not working, I'm playing!' Maths was fun after that."

Another said: "You could make people laugh no matter what mood they were in. You were an ace mate."

And another: "The whole time we have known you, you have talked about cars and how much you liked them. We just cannot believe it had to be you. We pray that you and Spud are looking after each other, and you are with God and his angels."

One friend wrote of the last time he spoke to Joel: "My last memory of Joel is him moaning because we were returning to school on his birthday. Joel didn't seem to think that was very fair."

Many of Joel's teachers, classmates and fellow Army cadets attended the service, weeping openly throughout.

Police are still investigating the crash in Stockton Lane last Thursday, in which an Audi A4, driven by Joel, lost control and smashed into a The Press van driven by Mr Alexander.

Heartbroken family and friends will be remembering popular van driver for The Press and father-of-five Peter Alexander at his funeral next week.

His funeral is being held at St Edward the Confessor Church, in Tadcaster Road, Dringhouses, at 10am on Wednesday, followed by a private cremation.

Updated: 14:42 Friday, April 28, 2006