Stephen Sutton's family want his funeral to be 'a celebration of his life'

Mourners and well-wishers planning to head to Lichfield to pay their respects to inspirational teenage cancer patient Stephen Sutton tomorrow have been urged to shun the traditional black in favour of bright colours.

His mother said the 19-year-old had always wanted to "put the fun in funeral".

Stephen helped to raise almost £4 million through his blog, detailing his battle with bowel cancer.

His coffin will leave his home in Burntwood tomorrow at 6pm by horse-drawn carriage.

It will head to Lichfield via The Bowling Green, passing along The Friary, Swan Road and Bird Street. He will be taken into Lichfield Cathedral at 7pm, and the building will be open until midnight for people to pay their respects.

It will then reopen at 7am on Friday, before a public farewell ceremony at 3pm.

He will then leave the cathedral at 3.45pm for a private family funeral.

A statement posted on Stephen's Facebook page by his mother Jane said the continued support, including the hundreds of yellow ribbons now decorating the town, had been a "great comfort".