Thousands raised in name of 8-year-old Lennix after Wiltshire tragedy

Lennix Sutcliffe was playing with his friends in a quiet cul-de-sac of the small village of Dilton Marsh, near Westbury, when he was hit by a car and killed on Saturday, April 13. 

Following his death, his parents Chris and Jackie paid tribute to their son, saying: "He simply loved life and was the light of our small village."

His loss has been keenly felt across the entire community and beyond, who have acted quickly to support the family during this extremely difficult time. 

A railing on a park in the Woodland View cul-de-sac has been turned into a place to leave tributes and flowers and was also the site of a vigil for the Pokemon-loving boy on Sunday evening. 

The nighttime vigil for Lennix the day after he was fatally involved in an incident with a car (Image: Cherise Cobb)In the days following the incident, a Facebook page has been set up for people to post memories, well-wishes and tributes as well as raise money to support the family with the unexpected costs for Lennix's funeral, with the family's permission. 

Cherise Cobb set up the page, having known the family for years and so far it has had more than £1,600 in donations. 

"I have known Chris for about 14 years when my husband and I first moved to the village, I have known Jackie since Lennix was born. They are a lovely family, and the boys were always happy," she said. 

"I am a mother, I am a sister, I am an Aunt. My heart shattered for Jackie and Chris, all of us up here felt the same. We all wanted to help, to take away some of the burden financially for them so they wouldn’t have to worry.

"I had the Monzo account to save in, but I am rubbish and so handed Jackie and Chris the card and wrote why I was doing it and people very kindly and quickly began to donate, never did we think it was going to be over £1,000,

"I said yesterday about trying to get it to £2,000 and we are almost there," she added. 

You can visit the Facebook page for Lennix and donate if you wish to by clicking here - https://www.facebook.com/groups/163162710225883/. 

Cherise added that she had been blown away by the messages of support and donations so far. 

"I have said before I believe it takes a village to raise a child, and as a village and community as a whole,  parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, teachers, classmates and even companies have come together. It has been incredible, the love for Chris, Jackie and the boys is really humbling," she said.

Cherise is not the only one spearheading funding efforts for the family. There are collection buckets at the school, raffles being held and many of the pubs in town have a collection bucket at the bars. 

The View in Westbury has a bank holiday funday and bingo night coming up which will be collecting donations, and it has also agreed to host a fundraiser in the future. 

"Jackie and Chris have asked that the fundraiser be after Lennix's funeral, to give them something to look forward to, especially Lennix's younger brother. So we have started throwing ideas around," Cherise said. 

On Saturday, April 13, Wiltshire Police confirmed that Woodland View had been closed off to pedestrians and motorists following an 'incident'. 

At the time, a spokesperson for the force said: “Police are responding to an ongoing incident on Woodland View, Dilton Marsh," they said. 

The following day, Police confirmed that Lennix had been involved in a crash and had died at the scene.

His parents Jackie and Chris released the following tribute to him.

“Our Lennix was always playing, a happy-go-lucky child who was loved by everyone and who loved everyone.

“He simply loved life and was the light of our small village.

“He loved Pokémon and his favourite character was Charizard.

“He was playing today, just playing, taking every ounce of enjoyment that life offered.”

Further details were then reported that Lennix had been playing in the area with friends when he was hit by a car.  

Lennix's grandad Nigel, who was returning from nearby shops, was among those who tried to give the young boy CPR.

Lennix was a pupil at Dilton Marsh Primary, and the school's headteacher has also recently paid tribute to him. 

Mrs Jill Hibbs, said: “The whole school community is devastated by the death of Lennix.

“He was such a great character, full of compassion and with a lovely cheeky side. We will all miss him dreadfully.

“As a school, we are pulling together to support the adults, children and families through this difficult time.

“We are being supported by our trust and Wiltshire local authority to come to terms with this tragedy.”

A man in his 30s was taken in for questioning by police following Lennix's death, but police have not released any further updates since.