Church opens for tributes after sea tragedy

A church in Nottinghamshire will open its doors for people to pay tribute to a mother and daughter who were swept away at a seaside resort.

Grace Keeling, 15, from Nottinghamshire, has been missing since Friday 2 January, after being swept away by heavy seas at Withernsea, East Yorkshire.

Her mother Sarah Keeling, 45, was found dead later on Friday evening, while Mark Ratcliffe, 67, who attempted to save the pair, also died.

St Mary Magdalene Church, in Sutton-in-Ashfield, will open on Saturday for people to light candles, say prayers and leave messages of condolence.

Rev Julie Cotterill, vicar for the church’s parish, said the community was “absolutely devastated” by the tragedy.

She said: “Like so many other people, I was really shocked at hearing the news, and really saddened by the tragedy. They have very much been a part of my prayers.

“Everyone in the community is absolutely devastated and deeply affected by what has happened. It’s hard to come to terms with when you hear something like that.

“There’s been so many messages though of love and support for their families and all our hearts go out to them.”

Earlier this week, Tim Paling, head teacher at Quarrydale Academy in Sutton-in-Ashfield, where Grace went to school, wrote to the community over the “tragic loss”.

He said Grace made “a lasting impression” and it was an honour to have her at Quarrydale.

The church, in Church Avenue, will be open to the public for the remembrance event between 10:00 and 16:00 GMT.

Cotterill added: “Grace was a young leader at the local Brownies with us and they’re all just so saddened by it.

“We want to open the church for people just to drop by, to come in and to have a time of quiet prayer, light a candle.

“We will have a book of condolence for people to write in, and the church will be here for the community to support each other as we come together.

“It’s a privilege to be able to stand alongside people and be there when they come in their grief; we’ll all grieve together.”

On Friday, Humberside Police said officers were continuing to search for Grace along the Withernsea shoreline.

The force said its underwater search unit had been deployed and officers had consulted with an oceanographer as part of the investigation.