A town came to a standstill as funeral mourners said their goodbyes to a devoted dad and his five ‘beautiful little rascals’.
David Cuthbertson, 68, and his children Just Raine, 11, Reef Raine, 10, Misty Raine, nine, Patch Raine, six and Gypsy Grey Raine, four, were killed in a mystery fire at their remote farmhouse.
Builder Mr Cuthbertson, a father-of-eleven and grandfather to 15, managed to get three older children to safety before going back into the flames to reach the others.
They raised the alarm with neighbours but by the time the fire service arrived it was too late.
Around 300 mourners gathered outside the church to say their goodbyes to the devoted father and his five ‘beautiful little rascals’
Builder Mr Cuthbertson, a father-of-eleven and grandfather to 15, managed to get three older children to safety before going back into the flames to reach the others. Pictured: Mourners arriving at the church today (left) and a coffin being carried into the service (right)
The small church was reserved for family members and the emergency services who fought the laze in the early hours of October 30 last year
The children’s mother, Sima Khan, told the 300 mourners: ‘Patch was a cheeky monkey and when Gypsy gave you a hug it felt like the world would explode. They will shine brightly in heaven where they are now’
David Cuthbertson, 68, will be buried with his children Just Raine, 11, Reef Raine, 10, Misty Raine, nine, Patch Raine, six and Gypsy Grey Raine, four
The children’s mother Sima Khan, 44, bravely paid tribute to each of her five children who perished in the blaze last October.
She told the 300 mourners: ‘Patch was a cheeky monkey and when Gypsy gave you a hug it felt like the world would explode.
‘They will shine brightly in heaven where they are now.’
Tributes were also paid to ‘wonderful’ dad Mr Cuthbertson who had 11 children, 15 grandchildren and two great grandchildren.
He was known as ‘Grandad Farm’ encouraging the children to have a love of animals, nature and the outdoors – especially jumping on the trampoline outside the family’s 200-year-old farmhouse which was razed to the ground by the fire.
The dates of birth and family details of each child were given to police by heartbroken Mrs Khan
Police said that although the children all had he surname Raine, they were all from the same family unit
One of the hearses leaving St Cadmarch’s Church where around 300 mourners turned out to say their goodbyes to the devoted father and his children
The three surviving children Leaf, 13, Blue, 12, and Farr, 11, held hands during the 90-minute service at St Cadmarch Church in Llangammarch Wells, Mid Wales
His daughter Pia Price, 24, said: ‘He was a wonderful dad who was devoted to his five beautiful little rascals.’
The three surviving children Leaf, 13, Blue, 12, and Farr, 11, held hands during the 90-minute service at St Cadmarch Church in Llangammarch Wells, Mid Wales.
Devastated mum Mrs Khan, 44, who was not living at the farmhouse at the time, was hugged by vicar Petra Beresford-Webb when she arrived for the service.
The small church was reserved for family members and the emergency services who fought the laze in the early hours of October 30 last year.
The family was asleep at 1am when the blaze broke out at their remote farmhouse in Mid Wales last October
Rev Beresford-Webb said: ‘It has been an horrendous time – the town has never known anything like it.
‘We are grouping together and praying – all I can do is comfort people at this time of loss.
‘I’ve been in close contact with the family for some time, we are all holding each other up.
‘So many people here have been affected but this is a small community and we have
pulled together like small communities do.’
The gutted Pointyn farmhouse was structurally unsafe and special equipment had to be brought in to search for and retrieve the bodies
The children were identified through DNA, except for little Gypsy who was identified through dental records
Crews of firefighters enter the torched shell of the family home in Llangammarch Wells
Firefighters are pictured inside the structure after it was destroyed by the fire last year
Teachers and classmates of the five children were at the service which included All Things Bright and Beautiful and If I had a Hammer.
Also among the mourners will be Mr Cuthbertson’s two son-in-laws who are both local firemen who were called to the horrific blaze.
Three hearses carried the six wicker coffins to Llanwrtyd Wells Cemetery for a private burial.
An aerial view shows the devastation following the blaze in Llangammarch Wells, Powys
Police have spent more than £560,000 investigating the cause of the fire which is still a mystery
Investigators are trying to work out what caused the fire and how it took hold of the property
The fire was described as ‘devastating news in such a close-knit community’
Police have spent more than £560,000 investigating the cause of the fire which is still unexplained.
The gutted farmhouse, called Pointyn, was structurally unsafe and special equipment had to be brought in to search for and retrieve the bodies.
They were identified through DNA, except for little Gypsy who was identified through dental records.
The dates of birth and family details of each child were given to police by heartbroken Mrs Khan.
Police said that although the children all had he surname Raine, they were all from the same family unit.
An inquest was opened and adjourned last month to allow the funerals to go ahead.