HUNDREDS of mourners gathered at the funeral of a teenager who loved his job in plant hire so much that his body was carried to church in a low-loader truck.

Mourners lined the streets as 16-year-old Daylin Brown's white coffin – decorated with the Leeds United colours and logo and adorned with flowers reading "Legend" – was carried to St Michael's Church, Torrington, on the lorry, reflecting two of his greatest joys.

Leeds United Football Club had sent the family a letter of condolence before the service.

The teenager's family and close friends followed the truck from his home in Calf Street to the church where his colleagues from K&J Plant Hire lined the path at the service yesterday.

The JCB Song played as the coffin was carried into the church and tributes were given by his boss, Keith Curtis, and Torrington schoolteacher Alison Atton.

Lisa Morris, speaking on behalf of Daylin's family, said they had been overwhelmed with the support and kindness shown to them.

She said Daylin touched the lives of all he met and the impact his loss had had on the whole community was extremely commendable.

"We are sharing love. We have been much closer together as a community and we should be proud of that," she said.

Mr Curtis said Daylin's mother Lyndsay brought her son to see him with a view to joining the plant one day a week while he was still at school.

He said: "He brought laughter and cheer every day he came. One day soon became two days a week, then three. He was like a little brother to us, we all loved to see him and enjoyed his company.

"Losing Daylin is going to leave a big hole in our business and I'm sure that is the same for an awful lot of people here. He was a credit to his family, a credit to Torrington and a credit to us."

Mrs Atton said: "Daylin had such a huge personality and would never let anyone pass by without calling out to greet them warmly."

She said he would often walk into her classroom singing the Westlife song You Raise Me Up. The song was played at the service with mourners joining in.

After psalms, a lesson, prayers and commendation, the coffin left the church to the P Diddy and Faith Hill song, I'll Be Missing You.