A second book of condolence has been opened at the former school of two Fife teenagers who tragically died in a car crash earlier this month.
Parents and carers, former pupils and current pupils at Kirkcaldy High School are being invited to write messages in the book and share their memories of Connor Aird, 17, who was one of two passengers in a vehicle that crashed on the Standing Stane Road on the morning of Sunday November 11.
Connor lost his incredible fight for life last weekend, while his friend Ethan King, also 17, was pronounced dead at the scene, and more than 1,000 people gathered on Kirkcaldy Promenade on Saturday evening to pay their respects and celebrate the pair’s lives.
Hundreds of messages have already been left for Ethan’s family in a separate book of condolence, but the school wanted to do likewise for Connor’s family.
Rector Derek Allan admitted he had been “blown away” by the community’s response on Saturday, when family, friends and classmates lit candles, made signs and laid flowers along the sea wall.
“Our youth gets a bad name and I never feel it’s justified,” he said.
“They have certainly shown their best side here.”
Fourth year pupil Matthew Lafferty was the main driving force behind the vigil and thanked everyone who had contributed in some shape or form.
“I knew it was going to be big because everybody liked them,” he said.
“Nobody had a bad word to say about them, they really didn’t.
“I just wanted to say a big thank you to everyone – there were a lot of people involved and it couldn’t have happened without them.”
A GoFundMe crowdfunding campaign to raise cash to help pay for Ethan’s funeral raised an incredible £10,000, and a similar initiative for Connor looks set to have similar results.
It was created on Monday and come lunchtime on Tuesday had raised an amazing £1,230 in just 18 hours.
Meanwhile, Ethan’s funeral is due to take place at Kirkcaldy Crematorium on Wednesday November 28 at 3pm, to which all family and friends are invited.
Donations can be given at the crematorium for the Air Ambulance Service, and those who plan to attend have been told they can wear an item of orange and black – the colours of his football team Glenrothes Athletic – or even dress as they would for a night out at the family’s request.
Danny Stevens, 18, was a third passenger in the car and is still in hospital in a stable condition, while the 17-year-old driver of the Vauxhall Corsa involved in the crash is under arrest.
