Hundreds line the streets of Llandudno to pay tribute at funeral of missing fisherman Ross Ballantine
The streets of a seaside resort were lined with mourners who turned out in their hundreds to pay their respects to a fisherman found dead after the Nicola Faith boat vanished off the North Wales coast.
Ross Ballantine was a crewman on the Nicola Faith fishing vessel which vanished off the coast of Colwyn Bay on January 27.
The 39-year-old, the boat's skipper Carl McGrath, 34, and Alan Minard, 20, were on board when the boat was last seen.
An initial two day search for the vessel returned no trace of the three men or their boat.Their bodies were later found washed-up at three different coastal locations in England within days of each other.
On Friday, the family and friends of Ross Ballantine came together one last time to remember the much-loved family man, to lay him to rest.More than 600 mourners turned out to say goodbye, from the family home in West Shore, where a small crowd gathered, and through the streets of Llandudno along the route where Mr Ballantine made his final journey.
Speaking before the funeral, the family or Ross Ballantine said: "We would like to thank everyone who has supported us through this incredibly difficult time."We have been completely overwhelmed by the kindness, generosity and togetherness that has been shown in supporting us at all stages, whether during the initial search, the fundraising to help find them or finally laying our boys to rest."Today we have to say farewell to Ross, a much-loved member of our family and the local community."To have so many people making the effort to be present despite the restrictions on numbers inside the church shows us the love that is felt for him and we will be forever grateful for this."To know Ross touched so many lives in such a positive way with his infectious humour, cheeky smile and love of life helps us to focus on the many good times he shared with us all rather than the sadness of recent events."Ultimately there will always be a piece of us missing now, but we are so thankful for what everyone has done for us, the love you have shown us and helping us to honour his life today.The funeral cortege travelled along Mostyn Street and made its way to St Paul's Church in Craig-y-Don, where a limited number of mourners gathered due to Covid-19 restrictions.
The hearse carrying Mr Ballantine' stopped as it made its way passed the RNLI Station in order for the family to show how grateful they were for the support of the volunteers who took part in the search for the missing men.Last week more than 100 people turned out in Conwy to pay their respects at the funeral of Mr McGrath.The funeral of Mr Minard took place yesterday and he was laid to rest in Penmaenmawr.An inquest into the deaths of the three fishing men aboard the Nicola Faith has been opened and adjourned until a later date.