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And the loved ones of Dan and Ryan Mabbott came together once again to say a final farewell to the youngsters who were not just brothers but best friends.

* CLICK HERE TO WATCH A PICTURE SLIDESHOW OF IMAGES FROM THE FUNERAL.

On a day of high emotion, perhaps the most moving moment came as the funeral cortege drove slowly past Dan and Ryan's school.

Hundreds of pupils from Brigshaw High in Allerton Bywater lined up outside as the two white-horse-drawn carriages passed slowly by.

The children stood silent, with their heads bowed, many blinking back tears and others openly weeping for their lost classmates.

Several hundreds more people gathered at nearby St Mary's Church in Kippax for the funeral service. So large was the congregation, that an audio relay had to be set up at the next door church hall.

The service began with one of the boys' favourite songs, Sunshine After the Rain by Berry from 1996, and their aunt Denise Mabbott gave a touching eulogy that drew a spontaneous burst of applause.

She said: "We will always remember them as a breath of sunshine in our lives. We are lucky to have these wonderful memories.

"We can shed tears because they are gone, or we can smile because they lived.

"We can turn our backs on tomorrow and live for yesterday or we can be happy for tomorrow because of yesterday."

The congregation left the church to the sound of Robbie Williams' Angels.

As the boys' coffins, draped in their favourite Leeds Rhinos shirts, were brought out, blue and yellow balloons were released into the sky.

The boy's grieving mother Jacqueline Bell was supported as she followed the coffins to the waiting hearse that took both her beloved children to Pontefract Crematorium.

Dan, 16, and Ryan, 12, were killed in an accident on April 25 not far from their Swillington home.

Their stepdad Philip Bell was driving the family's Honda Civic when it collided with a Mercedes on the A642 between Swillington and Woodlesford.

Mr Bell, 39, was airlifted to hospital but died a week later.

His six-year-old daughter, Leah Bell, was also badly hurt but survived the ordeal.