THE grieving parents of Abigail Guy, the youngster killed in a farmyard accident in Colne, are to say goodbye to their "special little girl" at a funeral service on Thursday.

Five-year-old Abigail, known as Abi, died on Wednesday after being hit by the rear wheels of a tractor and slurry tanker at Shaygate Farm, Skipton Old Road, which is farmed by her father Graham and grandfather Clarence.

Police are treating the incident as a tragic accident.

Her funeral will be held on Thursday at St John's Methodist Church, Colne, at 1pm.

The service, which will be led by the Reverend Laurence Potter, the father of one of Abi's friends, will be followed by burial at Colne Cemetery.

Staff at Laneshawbridge Primary School, where Abi had completed her first year, have agreed with her parents to erect a bench in the schoolyard in memory of the youngster who was always at the centre of attention in class.

Mum Jo Guy said her daughter "meant an awful lot to an awful lot of people."

"She wouldn't be ignored. Everything she did she put her heart and soul into it whether it was dancing, at school or just playing.

"She loved people very much. She took them as they were. I could go on and on about how special she was."

The couple thanked friends and family for their support in the days since the accident. Abi's head teacher, Eileen Bleasdale, has been in close contact with the family. "This has hit everyone very hard," she said. The school is holding a special service in memory of Abi on Wednesday.

Abi's parents separated 18 months ago and she and nine-year-old sister Laura lived with their mother in Foulridge.

Her grandparents, Mac and Doreen Townsend, and uncle and aunt Ben and Dee Townsend, both farm in Laneshawbridge, and the family is well known in the area.

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