BALLOONS filled the sky over Worcester as friends of Lewis Mullan paid a personal tribute to a popular man who could always make them smile.

After a five second countdown the blustery wind quickly carried the balloons away over Diglis Field in Worcester during the ceremony at around noon today/ Friends gathered to pay their respects, honour his memory and say goodbye to him together before his funeral on Monday. An earlier balloon release had already taken place involving 10 of his close friends at Diglis Basin but this latest release was designed for everyone who knew Lewis.

Around100 people attended the ceremony and balloons of all shapes and sizes were released, including some with personal messages on the side and some with a photograph of Lewis emblazoned on them.

His friend Sam Elton, 23, who has known Lewis from the age of three years, started the countdown and released a heart-shaped balloon with 'My Angel' on one side and 'Love you Lewis' on the other.

She said: "Today is for everybody who knows Lewis to come and celebrate him in their own way with everybody together. He made so many friends. There is not a bad word you can say about him. I met him at pre-school and we went to primary school together. He was very outgoing. He would say hello to everyone going down the road. He was so easy to make friends with. He was the sweetest guy I have ever met."

Donations were also collected to help Mr Mullan's family pay for a memorial. Mr Mullan's father Paul also attended the balloon launch. He said: "It's nice that people have taken the time and effort to remember him. This shows what a popular lad he was."

His friend Matthew Reynolds, aged 24, of Warndon, Worcester, said: "He could be a nightmare at school but everybody loved him. He could get away with everything because he had this cheeky way about him. He would be so chuffed that all these people have come. It's touching but it is also nice that we can all meet up and share our emotions with each other."

Michelle Barnes, aged 36, of Tolladine, Worcester, said: "He was amazing. It didn't matter what he was doing, he would always say hello. He used to call me rainbow. He was best friends with Dan and they were like a double act. He was so happy all the time and always had a smile on his face. It's nice that everyone can spare their time and come together."

Mr Mullan, of Bath Road, Worcester, a former Cherry Orchard Primary and Nunnery Wood High School pupil, went missing in the early hours of Christmas Day. His body was found in Diglis Basin on Saturday, December 27. A Facebook page called RIP Lewis Mullan has already received 2,230 likes.