Lennix Sutcliffe: Fun day for ‘happy-go-lucky’ boy killed in accident

The devastated parents of an eight-year-old boy killed while riding his scooter have paid tribute to their “happy” son ahead of a family fun day held in his memory.

Lennix Sutcliffe died after being hit by a car near his Woodland View home in Dilton Marsh, Wiltshire, on April 14.

There will be a huge day of fun at White Horse Country Park in Westbury this Sunday in aid of Wiltshire Air Ambulance, who tried to save Lennix’s life.

“We want everybody to come down and have fun, have fun and enjoy the time that we’re having,” said his father Christopher Sutcliffe.

Three months after Lennix’s death, his family thanked the community for the huge outpouring of support they experienced.

His mother, Jackie Meredith, said: “We are very overwhelmed by the support we have had and can’t thank the community of Westbury enough, everyone who has supported us.”

The fun day, which is open to everyone in the community, will include live music, children’s games and entertainment, a circus skills workshop, a dinosaur display and a range of food stalls.

Lennix would have been “in his element” at the planned event, which will also include fireworks and a laser show, Ms Meredith told BBC Points West.

“He would have been first in, last out,” she added. “He would have been in all the races and had so much fun.”

“He was always a rambunctious kid growing up, he loved being outdoors, always into everything,” Mr Sutcliffe said.

“He loved riding his bike, knocking on doors for all his friends, getting them to come out and play. He used to knock on the door of people in our area and just have a conversation with them.

“And the parents he was talking to, not just the kids.”

More than £3,000 worth of raffle prizes were donated at the event, for both adults and children, with organizer Cherise Cobb – who lives three doors away from the family – saying she had been “overwhelmed” by the support.

“He was just a fun-loving boy – very bright, very kind. It hit us all hard,” she said.

“It’s just amazing how something so sad can make something so positive.

“We hope the community can come together and enjoy it, because Lennix has always been about living your best life, and that’s what we’re going to try to do.”

It is hoped, she said, that the event will become an annual event to raise money for Wiltshire Air Ambulance in Lennix’s memory.

“You never know when you’re going to need them,” she said. “We need them and they’ve been there.

“We have to support them because they are a charity funded by people like us, so hopefully Lennix in his passing will help someone else.”