Pictured: staff and students at Coventry College don hats in memory of Ryan
Ryan Oakes, who was a trainee electrician studying at the college, died on October 5th after being involved in a collision with a car at the junction with Hipswell Highway in the Stoke area of the city, near to his home on Newey Road.
As a show of support to the 17-year-old’s family, students and staff were asked to wear a hat for the day as a tribute to the teenager and make donations which would go to a JustGiving campaign aiming to raise funds for his family.
Kelly Greevy, head of construction at Coventry College, said: “Ryan was a great boy who had many friends here.
“The staff who worked with him loved to teach him and everyone had nothing but nice things to say about him as a person and a student.
“We wanted to show our solidarity and support for the family and thought that wear a hat day would be a nice way of doing that.
“He would always wear a hat to class and I had to constantly remind him that it wasn’t allowed.
“He had a cheeky smile and you know he was just pushing his luck in a fun way by wearing it to make people laugh.
“I thought putting on a hat for the day would be a good show of solidarity.
“Our thoughts are with his family at this sad time and we hope this gesture can contribute towards supporting them.”
Ryan’s friends at the college were based in reception on Monday morning to help collect the donations.
Close friends Rowan Simpson, 18, from Stoke and Louis Burns, 17, from Wyken, led the organisation of the fundraising efforts and are planning more across the city.
Rowan said: “We were very close and I remember telling him just a few weeks ago that I would always have his back.
“It has been sad coming to college since he has gone, he was a funny and kind person who was full of life.
“Today has been a bit better because everyone has come together for a good cause, it feels like there is a good vibe in the air.
“We are proud to be able to say we are helping his family, he was a good friend to me.”
A JustGiving page was set up for Ryan in the days after his death and has seen 133 supporters come forward to help surpass the original target of raising £2,500 to support his family.
At present, the total stands at £2,900 - you can donate by visiting www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/claire-phillips-3
