THE teenage sole survivor of a holiday accident which wiped out his family has helped to restore a school memorial to his little brother.
Aaron Pearce, 19, was back at his old junior school St John's, Mosley Common, to see the unveiling of the renovated indoor pond, built to remember Lewis who died in the crash in France on February 22, 1992.
Aaron escaped with a broken wrist in their Land Rover's impact with a truck on the Dunkirk-Lille road, which killed his parents, Bob and Alma and eight-year-old brother, as they were on their way home from a half term trip to Amsterdam.
He now lives with his uncle, Stephen Pearce, and his partner Nadine and the two little cousins Chloe, three, and Jacob, two, who regard him as their big brother, in his family home at City Road, Mosley Common.
Aaron, who remembers little of the accident, is now a student at the Manchester Midi College studying computer based modern music and a part-time barman in Manchester.
He said: "Uncle Stephen heard that the school was asking the PTA for donations so we decided to give our own contribution towards the renovation in Lewis' memory."
The school's acting head, Joanne Walker, said the pond, which is situated in an entrance hall, was looking a bit the worse for wear so it was decided to raise some money to do it up.
The out of school gardening club was given the task of restoring the pond, which has a plaque in memory of Lewis close by, to its former glory.
They were their own quantity surveyors, compiling a shopping list, for all the equipment needed.
Over £100 was spent on new stone features, cleaning up and replanting.
And Aaron was star guest at the thank-you ceremony on Tuesday.
He said: "The pond was specially built in Lewis' memory and I helped to make it when I was 10.
"I was glad to go along to see the work the gardening club has done to make it nice again."
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