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RELATIVES have paid tribute to talented young trainee chef David Smith, who died in a road accident at Great Bradley last month.

The loss is a cruel double tragedy for the family of School Road, Kedington, as David’s mother, Nichola, died last December from liver cancer.

David, 18, was the oldest of five boys and his father Wayne had given up his job as a long-distance lorry driver in 1999 to care for his wife and children.

David attended Cambridge Regional College as a catering student and in June was presented with the First Year Student’s Cup for his outstanding progress. When he did work experience at the Bell Hotel, in Cambridge, his report back said they wished they had ten of David.

Although hit hard by his mother’s death, David had been getting his life back on course and had just found himself a new chef’s job to complement his college course.

Wayne Smith said the whole family was proud of his achievements and he had been very supportive of his brothers Paul, 15, Andre, 13, Daniel, six, and Matthew, Five.

“He had worked part-time as a chef at Addenbrooke’s and I told him to look for something with hours that suited him better. But he said that was what he wanted to do and if those were the hours, he would do them.

“When his mother died he was better than I was. I just got down in the dumps, but he was more like his mother. It did hit him hard but he got on with his life. He loved cooking and he worked really hard at it.

“He was just getting his life together and he was in a really
good mood when he went out that morning. At first you look for someone to blame but it was just an accident.

“I don’t think we will ever really know what happened. We are coping but it has devastated us all. I would like to thank the people who stopped and found him and tried to help, it must have been terrible for them,” Mr Smith said.

Linda Rowley, head of the Catering School at Cambridge Regional College, said students and staff there had been, greatly affected by David’s death.

She said: “Everyone was proud of David. He was so dedicated, you felt as if he had a great future as a really good chef, someone you would read about one day.”

The funeral service will be held at Kedington Parish church tomorrow at 10.45am, with a traditional mass, followed by cremation at Bury St Edmunds, where David’s favourite music will be played. All his friends are welcome to attend.

CAPTION: Top, Tragedy ... Nicola Smith, who died last December. Bottom, Talented … David Smith, who died in a road accident.