LEDBURY Parish Church was packed with hundreds of mourners on Monday (December 5), for the funeral of a selfless John Masefield sixth-former, Caitlin Ronan, who fund-raised for others even while she was bed-bound herself.

During his moving eulogy, her father Sean Ronan said the fund-raising drive had turned Caitlin, who was 17, "into a minor celebrity".

And concerning her considerable academic and musical successes, he added: "We wonder what she would have achieved in all aspects of her life, had she not been so disabled."

A number of Caitlin's friends had given emotional readings during the service, and Mr Ronan said: "People liked Caitlin because she was such good company; outward looking and interested in the outside world."

Last year, Caitlin launched a fund-raising drive to provide a high-tech "Eye Gaze" system not only for herself but for others, and in this she succeeded admirably, having raised almost £33,000 by the time of her death, on November 17.

This sum is enough for five "Eye Gaze" systems, which are made by the Malvern-based company, Smartbox, and which allow users to access the computer and television and send private phone calls and text messages from a bed, even if users can no longer use their arms and legs.

Mr Ronan repeatedly used the word "exceptional" to describe his daughter, and he said: "Caitlin did the absolute maximum it was possible to do at all times; and yet there was never a hint of self-pity. It was her matter of fact way of dealing with the world that was so impressive.

"She never dwelt on things, but quickly moved on."

He added: "As for her legacy, it will reach far and wide."

Caitlin's back had effectively collapsed twice and immunoglobulin treatment, steroids and plasma exchange treatment had failed to stop the progression of her condition, which is called chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy.

Mr Ronan said the word "disabled" had become meaningless through overuse, but in Caitlin's case he said the word was "inadequate" to describe her condition, and towards the end she found it "so difficult to get comfortable".

But Mr Ronan said: "She never swore, not once; she didn't like swearing."

Caitlin had insisted on taking GCSE's at home "in mammoth sessions of up to five hours" and she even re-sat her maths to gain an even higher grade than the 'A' she achieved the first time round.

She also gained her Grade 7 in musical theatre and a Grade 5 for acting; and on her 16th birthday she was in receipt of a gold Blue Peter Badge.

All this was despite the fact that she was having to take "fifteen different drugs a day, including a cocktail of strong painkillers".

In his address, the Revd Tony Hodder referred to an incident at Bosbury Primary's sports day where Caitlin, already struggling to walk, fell twice during a sprint but still got up to complete the race. He said that in this way Caitlin was an example to everyone, and to ask whether life is fair or unfair would be to ignore the impact Caitlin had on others and the wider world.

There was a strong musical theme to the service, with songs from Caitlin's favourite musicals.

The John Masefield Chamber Choir gave a touching performance of "All Through the Night" and the service ended poignantly with the playing of the song "Quiet" from Matilda, as Caitlin's coffin left the church.

Caitlin was buried at Christ Church cemetery, in the presence of her immediate family, including mum Louise, her father Sean and her sister, Lucy.