Mourners wear red in tribute to footballer Poppy

The funeral of a 10-year-old girl who was fatally struck by a car on a football pitch has taken place.

Poppy Atkinson was taking part in a football training session at Kendal Rugby Club in Cumbria on 5 March when she was hit by a car.

Mourners fell silent as the hearse went past on Monday morning, the coffin decorated with a mass of poppies and bearing the image of Manchester United's football stadium - a reflection of Poppy's "infectious passion for football".

At the service in Kendal, family and friends were joined by players and officials from local junior football teams, many wearing Manchester United shirts with the number 10 and 'Poppy' on the back.

Poppy's family have described her as a "force of nature" whose "passion for football was infectious".

She played for Kendal United's U12 girls team and Morecambe girls, and was a huge fan of footballers Georgia Stanway, Ella Toone and Kobbie Mainoo.

Earlier, the family had thanked the local community and "strangers afar" for their love and support.

People in Kendal, many of them also wearing football shirts or dressed in red, had been invited to line the streets and create "a sea of love" as the cortege made its way to the parish church.

Poppy's primary school - Old Hutton Church of England in Kendal - was closed for the day as a mark of respect to the young footballer.

A spokesperson for the school said: "We hope that this will enable as many people as possible to pay their respects to Poppy, and to be there to help support her family and friends, all of whom remain in our prayers at this time."

A recording of the school's choir singing a pop medley was played in her honour at the service, and there were tributes from her family, one of her local football coaches and her head teacher.

The primary school said it was considering how to honour her memory.

"As a school community we all remain heartbroken," a spokesperson said.

"Poppy's tremendous footballing talent has been well documented in recent days and it may be that, as a school community, we are able to do something in her memory which reflects this.

"We would want to ensure that whatever we chose to do in lasting memory of Poppy is what her family would want too - and we would liaise with them thoroughly about any such memorial."

A 40-year-old man from Lancaster was arrested at the time of the crash on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving but has since been released while investigations continue.

At the time, police said there was "no indication to suggest that this incident was a deliberate act".

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