Tributes have been paid to three young men, tragically killed in a car crash, on the first anniversary of their deaths.
Calum Leighton and Joseph Shape, both 18 and from Chippenham, and their Devizes-based friend Lawrence Bruce, 20, died on the A420 near Faringdon during the morning of August 21 last year.
A year on from the incident, the trio’s family and friends have joined together for a string of activities celebrating and remembering their lives.
This culminated in the laying of floral tributes at the roadside in Faringdon and at a memorial which was created last year under the Gladstone Road bridge in Chippenham.
Calum’s family believe the fact this mural remains intact almost a full year after it was created shows the “love and respect” for the boys locally.
The weekend began when Calum and Lawrence’s families joined together to plant an oak tree in the paddock where aspiring musician and DJ Calum had launched his own music label, Run Da Riddim, the day before he died.
A plaque was also unveiled in memory of the trio and Calum’s dad Andrew hopes the tree will remain there for many years in memory of the three young men.
Several friends and family then set off on a sponsored Drum and Bass cycle from Broomfield to Bristol, raising nearly £3,000 for charities Brake and Wiltshire Treehouse.
That evening Run Da Riddim, which is now co-managed by Calum’s dad Andrew, hosted an event called Leighton’s Rave Party at the Clock Factory in Bristol.
Over 250 attendees, including many friends of Calum, Lawrence and Joe, watched on as Calum’s younger sister Darcey, who took up music after he died, played a special tribute set for her brother.
This was followed by a private event for family and friends with Drum and Bass music, a bonfire and fireworks.
Reflecting on the weekend, Mr Leighton described his family’s “bittersweet” emotions after so many people came together in memory of his son.
He said: “This time of year will always be bittersweet for us and Calum’s friends. Celebrating the happiest day of his life, and the launch of his record label Run Da Riddim, followed by the most tragic and the feeling of loss and sadness.
“Seeing the friends of all three boys come together over the weekend in such numbers and with so much passion and determination to ensure they are never forgotten made us feel very proud. What stood out was the solidarity amongst them.
“Very few knew all three boys, and there were many friends of Joe and Lawrence that we hadn’t met before, but seeing everyone come together and talk about them with such admiration made us realise how much they are all loved and always will be.”
The label recently launched their debut album Sounds of the Jungle and last week released Rave Party, the first tune Calum ever wrote after teaching himself music production in lockdown.
Andrew added: “Calum always loved music growing up… I’m extremely proud and proud of everyone that has kept the label going in his memory.
“Music carries on forever so it’s a great way to keep his legacy and what he had planned going.”
Lawrence has been similarly honoured by his friends, who started a clothing brand called KUNS to preserve his memory.
These are now stocked at Burts’s Boards in Chippenham and Andrew added that Run Da Riddim and KUNS are planning to collaborate with each other in the future.
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