Tributes have been paid to a ‘fearless and quick to smile’ teenager who died in a Staffordshire lake.
Sonny Leese Clark, 17, was last seen falling in the cold waters of Rudyard Lake on Friday evening.
His body was pulled out by police almost 24 hours later. His two friends who were with him survived and were taken to hospital.
In a touching tribute, his family described Sonny as someone whose life was just beginning.
‘Sonny – our lovely, kind, good-natured boy. You had grown into a fantastic young man,’ it read.
‘Always helpful, adventurous, fearless and quick to smile. You were a very special and wonderful brother to your siblings, and our lives are diminished for your loss.
‘We love you and always will. 17 and his life was just beginning the next chapter, his book was too short.’
Emergency services raced to the sprawling reservoir, a spot for watersports such as kayaking, canoeing and paddle boarding, at about 9.30pm on Friday.
They were seen trawling through the water for hours before his body was found.
Police said the ‘local lad from Leek’ was taken out of the lake at 5pm on Saturday.
A statement from the force said: ‘We have been offering our support to his family as much as we possibly can after the tragic news yesterday.
‘The search efforts involved an array of emergency services, as well as volunteers who gave countless hours of their time to try and find him from the Cheshire and Staffordshire Search and Rescue charities.
‘We know this incident has caused a great deal of sorrow in the local community and has affected so many people who knew him personally.
‘Our thoughts and condolences remain with his family at this unprecedented and tragic time.’
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