Mum's tribute to her hero son and 'little ray of sunshine' Nathan (10)

The mum of a 10-year-old boy has paid tribute to her “hero” and “little ray of sunshine” after he died suddenly.

Nathan Will-Murray, from Gedney Hill near Peterborough, passed away suddenly last month, leaving his friends and family devastated.

A spectacular car and motorbike procession will travel alongside the “popular” boy on the way to his funeral next Friday as loved ones say their final goodbyes.

Speaking to the Peterborough Telegraph, Nathan’s mum Heidi Will said he had been her “hero”.

She said: “He was a little ray of sunshine, he was an amazing, happy boy. He was always kind, he always wanted to help, he always had a smile on his face. He was the kindest, sweetest little boy.

“He was a gentleman – he would hold doors open for ladies at school. He was really popular.

"It is so wrong, he has gone before his time.”

Heidi said Nathan loved cars and motorbikes – anything with an engine, but especially old VW Beetles – and had been given his own car after he helped save the lives of his family.

‘Little hero’

Heidi said: “On April 1, 2020 he woke up to find a fire in his bedroom. He was just seven years old. He made sure everyone woke up and got out. He was a little hero. We lost almost everything in the fire, but he saved everyone. It would have been a very different story without him.

"When we moved back into the house, we got him his own 1972 VW Beetle in ‘Herbie’ colours. It was his favourite car. It was a project that we were going to do it up. We still will, but he was so excited when he got it.”

Heidi said Nathan enjoyed going to school, and dreamt of going to university to study zoology. He wanted to go to China to work with pandas when he was older.

But cars and bikes were his passion, and Heidi said the procession planned for next week would be the perfect way to honour him.

Heidi, who will ride alongside her son at the funeral, said: “He loved everything with an engine. He loved ‘Bugs’ (VW Beetles) and would watch anything with cars in it – the Knight Rider, the A-Team, The Cars films. But he loved the Herbie films.

"I’m a biker myself, my eldest is a biker. I’ve ridden for more than 20 years and there is pride in the biker and car community to escort someone on their last journey.”

The procession, which will take place Friday (July 22), will start in Yaxley and take a route past Nathan’s school, Crowland Primary, to allow his friends and classmates to say a final goodbye, before it travels on to Gedney Hill.

People with classic cars or motorbikes are invited to take part in the procession, which will start at 12 noon in the Royal British Legion car park in Broadway.

For more information on how to take part, visit this Facebook page.