Hundreds attend memorial service for teenage girl in ski lift tragedy

Poonam Bhattal, 13, fell 20ft on to the piste in the resort of Claviere last year.

The schoolgirl, who was described as “a beautiful person”, was having ski lessons with classmates from the Guru Nanak Sikh Academy in Hayes, Middlesex, when she boarded the chairlift on the morning of February 22.

To mark the first anniversary of the death, her family have participated in prayers which started last Monday at their Berkshire home.

The prayers were completed in a memorial service yesterday at Guru Nanak Sikh Academy.

The congregation heard extracts from Poonam’s exercise book, and the last words written by her in the book were: “To be happy with your family and your life is the most important.”

In a speech to the congregation, Poonam’s mother said: “Poonam was one of God’s children and on loan to us from God. She served her purpose on this earth well and God decided he needed her back to serve an even higher purpose.

“We feel honoured that we had the privilege of being Poonam’s proud parents. We miss our Poonam so much and will always have her in our thoughts and hearts.”

Ahead of the service, her parents said: “Poonam was a beautiful person, a little cheeky at times, but never failing to smile and making us and others smile with her.”

A fund has been set up in Poonam’s name, and all money raised will be divided between a memorial plaque and special garden that will be created at the Guru Nanak Sikh Academy and the school’s own charity which helps deprived children in India.