Funeral for caving trip death boy

Joseph was described as a star pupil who had a very bright future

The funeral of a 14-year-old boy who died on a school caving trip has been held in Tadcaster.

It is thought Joseph Lister, of Steeton, near Tadcaster, was trapped by rising water at Manchester Hole in Upper Nidderdale, North Yorkshire.

Hundreds of his friends and family attended the funeral at St Mary's Church on Friday

A special tribute was paid by Joseph's grandfather, who described the teenager as "one in a million".

Joseph was among 100 pupils from Tadcaster Grammar School on the first day of a week-long visit to the county council run Bewerley Park when he died.

He is believed to have gone missing from a party of 10 other pupils, as they made their way out of the cave system because of rapidly rising water following heavy rain.

His lifeless body was later recovered by rescuers.

A post mortem examination proved inconclusive and officers are awaiting the result of toxicology tests to establish the exact cause of his death.

Tadcaster Grammar's headteacher Geoff Mitchell has described Joseph as a star pupil and said the school had lost someone very special.

"He was the sort of young lad who had a glint in his eye," he said. "He was the sort of young lad who lived for life."

"He had a very, very bright future."

The cave the children had been in is used by instructors to give a basic introduction to caving.

An inquest has been opened and adjourned to allow North Yorkshire Police and the Health and Safety Executive to continue their investigations.