School tribute to tragic Chloe
AMEMORIAL has been unveiled by a school to an A-grade pupil killed in a horror road crash.
Chloe Cockton, 16, died when a Renault Clio she was a passenger in flipped over and smashed into metal pedestrian barriers near Rochdale town centre in July last year.
The smash happened shortly after Chloe, from Kirkholt, had sat her GCSE exams.
Her school, St Cuthbert’s RC High, revealed after results day last August that she achieved a string of top grades. Chloe was also honoured by the school with a posthumous award for her achievements in health and social care studies.
Now the school has unveiled a special bench within its grounds in her memory and a memorial plaque has taken pride of place in the school’s chapel.
Anyone using the bench is asked to ‘take a seat, have a chat and remember Chloe with love in your heart and a smile on your face’.
The bench and plaque were unveiled after a special service of remembrance at the school on Shaw Road held to celebrate Chloe’s life.
She achieved nine GCSEs at grades A* to C, including an A* in religious education and As in maths and social care, and wanted to pursue a career in law.
Chloe’s mum, Michelle Connolly, thanked teachers and pupils for their continued support to the family.
She said: “Everyone has been brilliant in terms of support after Chloe’s death, especially St Cuthbert’s. I want to thank everyone at the school for this gesture.
“It’s a real source of comfort to the family knowing that Chloe will never be forgotten and always remembered at her school.”
Michael Bowker, 19, the driver of the car, had reached speeds of up to 80mph after giving Chloe, her older sister Sophie and another girl a lift from a rave at Greenbooth Reservoir in Rochdale.
A court heard the girls were screaming at Bowker to slow down, but he overtook cars on the wrong side of the road before the crash at Bury Road’s junction with Mellor Street.
Bowker, of Croft Street, Rochdale, pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving and was locked up last November for six and half years.
He was also banned from driving for four years.