ONLY those who have lost a child in a sudden tragedy will have any comprehension of what the family of Tony Ballard is going through.

The 17-year-old lost his life on Monday, despite the heroic efforts of his friends and other rescuers, while swimming in the river Severn in Worcester.

His parents Duncan, a popular local vicar, and Ellie have paid an emotional tribute to their son. Many of his friends have left messages on our website and other social networking sites.

It is clear Tony was a much-loved son and hugely popular friend.

His parents talk of a young man who “lived his life for the moment and never worried about tomorrow”. Such a focus on the here and now is typical of teenage boys, as any parent will testify.

A dip in the Severn on the hottest day of the year will have seemed like simple fun to Tony and his three friends.

There are, of course, always warnings about the dangers of swimming in rivers at this time of year. The authorities repeat them today in the pages of this newspaper.

We have no doubt some will condemn Tony and his friends as reckless. We think they were just being teenagers. We think they were “living for the moment”.

We hope his family find comfort in their faith in the days to come. We hope his friends, particularly those who were with them when this awful tragedy struck, find a way through their grief. Our thoughts and prayers are with them all at this dreadfully sad time.

  • Please leave your tributes below our original article here.