Mum pays tribute to her 'little sunshine boy', 3, killed by tractor in Tottington

A mother whose son was killed after being hit by a tractor has paid tribute to him, calling him her "little sunshine boy".

Albie Speakman, who was three-years-old, died after being hit on farmland off Bentley Hall Road in Tottington on Saturday afternoon (16 July). He died before he could be taken to hospital.

Police and the Health and Safety Executive are investigating.

Paying tribute to him, his mother Leah said: “Albie was an incredibly loving, affectionate and caring boy who just wanted everyone to be happy. He was so sensitive and wanted everyone to be ok, especially the people that he loved.

“We all love Albie so much more than we can ever put into words – especially his Nan and his ‘Nanny-Nanny’, as he would always call her.

“I will miss absolutely everything about Albie, his voice, his smile, the smell of his skin and the feel of his little hands on my face when he would say ‘I love you mummy girl’.

“I’ll especially miss going on adventures with Albie, anywhere and everywhere we could have fun; nothing will ever fill the whole that he has left in our hearts, we are broken beyond repair.

“I always call him my little sunshine boy because he has brought so much light into my life and he is my little ray of sunshine, and I don’t want his life to end here, I need to carry on living for him and take him with me wherever I go. We still have so many more memories to make, Albie!

“I love him so much and I know he will find his way back to me someday, somehow, because we need each other. Until then I will look for him in everything I do and I will celebrate his life.

“I’m not sure how to carry on this life without you but I will find a way to be strong for you and make you proud.”

The driver of the tractor is still assisting police with their enquiries.

In a statement, Chief Inspector Ian Partington, of GMP’s Bury district, said: “This is a heart-breaking incident that has seen a young boy tragically lose his life and my thoughts go out to his family and loved ones who will be utterly devastated by today’s events.

“Despite his family flagging down an ambulance while driving him towards hospital quickly as they could, the boy sadly could not be saved after the best efforts of paramedics; I can’t imagine how distressing this was for those involved.

“We are working to ensure that a full investigation is carried out, and the farmland where we understand this incident to have occurred remains cordoned off to allow our investigators and partners from the HSE to conduct thorough enquiries to establish exactly what has occurred here.”