The family of a former Kington teenager who died in hospital after he was involved in a road collision in Herefordshire this weekend have paid tribute to him. Sixteen-year-old Marcus Powell from Clehonger was running along the B4349 from Kingstone towards Clehonger last Sunday at 5.25pm when he was in a collision with a silver BMW X5 travelling in the same direction.
He received serious head injuries and was flown to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham by the West Mercia Police helicopter. He remained in a critical condition and died on Monday morning.
Marcus’ family paid tribute to the youngster. They said: “Marcus was a promising young footballer and lived for his football: he played for Cheltenham Town Under 16s and was in the second year of a two-year contract. He also played for Cheltenham and Hereford Under 18s and was a big Arsenal fan.
“Marcus was so bright, so vibrant. He didn’t have a bad bone in his body. He was a confident young lad who had an answer for everything. We didn’t realise just how many friends he had and not just in Herefordshire and Cheltenham but as far away as Birmingham and Gloucester.
“There have been more than 700 messages left on his Facebook page and it is comforting to know so many people thought so highly of Marcus. We’d like to thank everyone for their kind words.
“Marcus was extremely happy: his last Facebook status was ‘My life can’t get any better’. He had a girlfriend he adored and some very strong, loyal friends.
“He was a pupil at Kingstone School but lived in Kington until he was 13 and attended Radnor Valley CP School, where he first discovered his love of football, and then Lady Hawkins’ School.
“We would like to thank everyone who held a tribute for Marcus at Kingstone School last night. They gathered at 6pm and laid flowers then let off fireworks and lanterns.
“Marcus also loved rugby, hockey and athletics, and was training to do a charity run for St Michael’s Hospice when he was involved in the collision.
“We would like to thank everyone from the emergency services and the staff at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, who all fought so hard to save Marcus. His family were at his bedside when he passed away.
“He’s gone but we’ll never forget him. He was deeply cherished and will be sadly missed.”
Marcus leaves behind two brothers and a sister, 18-yearold Michael Powell, eight-yearold Aaron Powell and six-year-old Eve Russell.
Aaron added; “Marcus, you have been a great brother throughout my life, bringing me up. You have always had fun with me and I love you dearly.
“You have taught me loads of different things and I can’t believe it ended in this moment. Thank you so, so much and I’d do anything for you to come back. You’ll always be my brother.”
In a statement, Cheltenham Town football club said thoughts were with Marcus’ family and friends at this difficult time. As a mark of respect, the club has cancelled games this weekend for the U9-U16s teams and cancelled youth training on Monday and Friday.
West Mercia Police are still investigating the incident and appealed for information.
Inspector Damian Sowrey said: “My officers continue to investigate the details of this collision and I would like to hear from anyone who saw this young runner or the BMW in the Kingstone-Clehonger area in the lead up to the collision.”
Insp Sowrey can be contacted via the West Mercia Police nonemergency line, 0300 333 3000, or information can be passed on anonymously through Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.