By Richard Burdge

A STREAM of Auchterarder school pupils made the short walk yesterday to the spot where one of their friends died at the weekend.

Struggling to come to terms with the apparent suicide of 15-year-old Laura Forrest, they laid floral tributes at the flyover where she plunged to her death on Saturday morning.

Candles, a cap and many cards remembering the popular youngster who dreamed of becoming a fighter pilot were placed on the parapet of the A9 flyover at the foot of Abbey Road.

The messages spoke of the community’s shock at the sudden death of a talented youngster who apparently had so much to live for, and the fact that she would be missed by so many in different ways.

It was between 5 am and 6 am on Saturday that Laura, of Kippen Lodge, near Dunning, died.

Speaking from the family home, her father, mother and sister—Alan, Liz and Abby—said that Laura was a fun-loving girl who would be greatly missed by all who knew her.

A former Dunning Primary pupil, she spent a number of years at Morrison’s Academy in Crieff before moving to the Community School of Auchterarder.

“Laura was a very outgoing girl who enjoyed socialising with her friends in Auchterarder,” said her family.

“She was also very sporty. One of her great passions in life was snowboarding and she enjoyed a trip to France last year with the school.”

Laura had performed well academically, gaining seven standard grades in her exams.

Her dream was to join the RAF and become a fighter pilot and she enjoyed gliding as a hobby.

A spokeswoman for Tayside Police said investigations into the death of the teenager were continuing and they were anxious to trace drivers on the Perth to Stirling road who might have seen Laura prior to the incident which closed the A9 for much of the day.

“There are no suspicious circumstances surrounding her death and, as in all sudden deaths, a report will be submitted to the procurator fiscal,” said the spokeswoman.

Calls to the school were being referred to the council’s Press office who issued a short statement expressing council’s deep shock and sadness at the tragic death of Laura Forrest.

A funeral service for Laura will take place at Dunning Church at 11 am on Saturday followed by a private, family only, burial.

The family have requested family flowers only with donations to be made to Childline Scotland.

The shock incident comes less than a week after the death of another 15-year-old Perthshire girl, Dundee High School pupil Marianne Shanks. She was found dead at the family home, Meggatland Farm by Inchture, the previous weekend.