Hundreds pay their respects at funeral of baby Carter Cookson

By Kris Jepson

Hundreds of people turned out in South Shields to pay their respects at the funeral of baby, Carter Cookson, who died just three weeks after his birth.

The funeral service was held at St Michael and All Angels Church, in Mowbray Road, South Shields.

Carter was born on Boxing Day last year, but shortly after his birth he suffered three cardiac arrests.

He needed a heart transplant, but despite the best efforts of his parents, Chris and Sarah Cookson, to appeal to the national for a heart donation, he passed away on the 19 January.

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Mourners wore a splash of blue at the request of the Cookson family to pay tribute to Carter, who in his very short life, raised awareness of organ donation and in turn inspired many people to consider signing up to the donation register.

During the service, songs were played, including 'Somewhere Over the Rainbow' by Eva Cassidy, 'Tears in Heaven' by Eric Clapton, and the hymn 'Oil in my Lamp'.

Carter's father, Chris delivered an emotional eulogy to his son, speaking about the precious eight hours his wife, Sarah, and he had with Carter on Boxing Day before he became ill.

The couple's first child, Charlie, died in 2013 at the age of two after living with a number of serious conditions.

They set up The Charlie Cookson Foundation, which has helped support families who have terminally ill children.

On the eve of Carter's funeral, his mother, Sarah, posted a moving message on Facebook, in which she said how proud they are of both their sons.

Friends of the family agreed that Carter's legacy will help save other children's lives.

Shaun Darcy said "A lot of people don’t think how important it actually is to put yourself out there and be a donor and obviously, being through what they’ve been through, I think that would be part of his legacy, very much so, being part of the charity."