Prayers for ambulance fall girl

A candle has been lit for Natalie

Prayers have been said in church in memory of a teenager who died in a fall from an ambulance.

The parish church in Charfield, the South Gloucestershire village where Natalie Dibden lived with her family, invited local people to call in for individual quiet reflection.

A table with flowers was set up at the front of the church and a candle lit with a card alongside saying "For Natalie".

Special prayers were also included in services at the church on Sunday.

Natalie, 16, suffered fatal injuries when she fell out of the back of the ambulance travelling along the M5.

She is reported to have become ill and was in a confused state after an evening out with friends at the Warehouse nightclub in Dursley, Gloucestershire.

Prayers were also said for her family and friends Rev Robert Pestell

The Rector of Charfield, Reverend Robert Pestell, told BBC News Online: "We lit a candle for Natalie and put out a kneeler in front of the table for anyone wishing to say a prayer for her or have a moment or two of quiet reflection.

"The prayers were also for her family, her school colleagues, other friends and all those who knew her."

Mr Pestell said local people had been stunned by Natalie's death last weekend.

"It is obviously a great shock to everybody to have such a tragedy involving a young person in our community."

Heart massage

Natalie, who attended The Castle School in Thornbury, apparently opened a rear door of the ambulance and fell out while saying she wanted to go to the toilet.

Natalie's father Steve Dibden has described how his wife, Sarah, who was following the ambulance in her car, had to pull over to avoid hitting their daughter.

Mr Dibden said his wife, a qualified first-aider, gave Natalie heart massage in the ambulance on the way to Gloucester Royal Hospital, where she later died.

Detectives are investigating the possibility that Natalie's drinks had been spiked.