AS 250 red balloons floated into the sky it was a chance for students to remember their close friend Thomas Cowley, who died suddenly last December.
Fellow year 11 students at Rainford High Technology College attached their personal messages and tributes to Tom on each balloon as part of a tribute earlier this term.
The school has released these photographs to the Star, which capture the moment.
The 15-year-old died at home from suspected sudden death syndrome.
His school friends packed All Saints Church in Rainford for his funeral in a highly moving and touching ceremony.
At school the whole of the year gathered in the courtyard to pay their final respects and goodbyes before the balloons were released.
Since Tom’s death the school has raised £1,100 through donations and cake sales.
The money will go towards Tom’s family’s charity of choice, Cancer Research.
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