FAMILY and friends gathered to say goodbye and pay tribute to a much-loved 17-year-old following his two-year battle with a rare blood disease.

Josh Fox from Tonge Moor died at home on August 12 after losing his fight with aplastic anaemia.

At his funeral yesterday a crowd greeted his family, which includes mother Diane Cummings, sisters Danielle and Olivia and grandfather Maurice Cummings, outside the West Chapel of Overdale Crematorium.

Many who turned out to wish him farewell wore special t-shirts with his picture and the words ‘RIP Josh 1999 - 2017’.

As his casket, adorned with blue and white flowers spelling out the words ‘son’ and ‘Foxy’, was carried into the chapel Wiz Khalifa’s See You Again was played.

Leading the service, Father Tony Davies said: “It is a sad day for his family especially and all who knew him.

“To lose someone to an illness is a great shock especially when it is someone as young as Josh.

“He was a normal young man and, although he didn’t get on well with school that well, he was a practically minded person who wanted to be a mechanic.

“Josh was a very strong character and that was reflected in his ways and determination to fight the illness. That strength and courage is something his family can be proud of.”

Mr Davies spoke about the teenager’s love for cars – and how he purchased a few but sadly never got to work on them before his condition deteriorated – and the support of his friends which helped his family through the difficult times.

Tribute was also paid to his fight to stay as indepedent as possible despite his illness and the support of The Christie and Bolton’s district nurses, some of whom attended the funeral.

There were tears and smiles during the service, especially to the chosen departing song, The Lazy Song by Bruno Mars.

His cousin Tracey Tyler set up a fundraising page to raise money for the funeral.

Its target was reached thanks to a number of donations, including a contribution by the Zak Vali Foundation

Josh was a former pupil of St Catherine’s Academy and became ill at the beginning of last year.

Doctors originally believed he had leukaemia but he was later diagnosed with aplastic anaemia following a blood and platelet transfusions at The Christie in Manchester – he later visited for treatment three times a week.

Sufferers of the condition do not produce enough new blood cells, leaving them fatigued and with a higher risk of infections and uncontrolled bleeding.