Archie Battersbee funeral: Family and friends lay 12-year-old to rest

Archie Battersbee was laid to rest today with his mother paying tribute to the ‘best boy ever’ – as friends remembered how the 12-year-old ‘always had a smile on his face’.  

Archie’s glittery silver coffin arrived at St Mary’s Church in Prittlewell, Southend, flanked by dozens of members of his family, all wearing purple ribbons and other purple items. 

During the service, a video of the youngser singing One Call Away by Charlie Puth was played, before the choir performed a rendition of the song. ‘One Sweet Day’ by Mariah Carey was also sung.

Archie’s mother tearfully addressed the congregation before someone shouted ‘we love you Hollie, we’re so proud of you’ and the crowd broke into spontaneous applause.

Ms Dance said, from the front of the church: ‘He was just such a beautiful little boy and just he made the most of absolutely everything that he did. He lived a very fulfilled and happy life. He was very, very energetic.’

She continued: ‘He was the best little boy ever, just perfect. There were a few little challenges along the way but he was just moulding into such a perfect little man. I love him so much.’

The song Someone You Loved by pop star Lewis Capaldi was played over speakers, and there was poetry, hymns, a bible reading and a video montage of photographs and film of Archie, including some of him doing somersaults.

Flowers arranged on top of the coffin read ‘son’, with others reading ‘Archie’s army’.  

During the service, a representative of Southend Gymnastics Club – which Archie went to – recalled the first time she met him as a toddler with his ‘gorgeous eyes and bright blonde hair’ and ‘the cheekiest smile I have ever seen’

She said he showed ‘all of the courage, bravery and determination that he had shown in the past few months’ and that he ‘always had a smile on his face’.  

A High Court judge ruled in July that doctors could lawfully stop providing life-support treatment to the youngster, who suffered brain damage in April after a suspected TikTok challenge at his home in Southend-on-Sea, Essex.

Doctors stopped treatment in early August after Archie’s mother, Hollie Dance, and father, Paul Battersbee, failed in bids to overturn Mr Justice Hayden’s ruling.     

Judges were told Ms Dance found Archie unconscious with a ligature over his head on April 7. 

She thinks he may have been taking part in an online challenge. The youngster did not regain consciousness.

Doctors treating Archie at the Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel, east London, thought he was brain-stem dead and said continued life-support treatment was not in his best interests.

Bosses at Barts Health NHS Trust, which runs the hospital, asked a High Court judge to make decisions on what medical moves were in Archie’s best interests.

Mrs Justice Arbuthnot initially considered the case and concluded that Archie was dead.

But Court of Appeal judges upheld a challenge, by Archie’s parents, against Mrs Justice Arbuthnot’s ruling and said evidence should be reviewed by a different High Court judge.

Mr Justice Hayden then ruled, after a further hearing, that ending treatment would be in Archie’s best interests.

Ms Dance is preparing to discuss the implications of Archie case with a health minister.

She wrote to Steve Barclay, who was health secretary when Archie died, asking if she and her MP Anna Firth could meet for talks.

Mr Barclay, who is no longer health secretary, replied to say a minister would discuss Archie’s case.

The Christian Legal Centre said no date had yet been fixed for a meeting.