The parents of a fun-loving teenager tragically killed in a horse-riding accident have spoken of a daughter "who always put a smile on somebody's face".

Faye Cree, from Hose, in the Vale of Belvoir, died on Monday after a horse-riding accident last week.

The 17-year-old sixth former at King Edward VII School, in Melton, was thrown from her horse, Finlay, as she rode him the few short yards into his stable.

Something startled the horse, which threw Faye, who wasn't wearing a helmet, into a wall, leaving her with severe head injuries.


Faye, of Church Close in the village, spent a week in intensive care at the Queen's Medical Centre, in Nottingham, but did not recover. Her ventilator was switched off on Monday.

Parents Phil, 52, and Kate, 55, and her brother Liam, 19, have been overwhelmed by more than 800 messages and pictures dedicated to Faye on Facebook, the social networking website.

Phil said: "As she was bringing her horse back from the field and on the track to the stables, she asked if she could ride him bareback. The horse went off at a pace and she came off into a stone wall. She didn't have a helmet on, unfortunately.

"It was a tragic accident. She was airlifted to hospital and had an emergency operation on Tuesday night. We then had six days of torture while she was in intensive care."

Friends from school and further afield produced a photographic and written tribute to her which hung alongside her bed as she lay in hospital.

Mum Kate said: "We have been bowled over by the impact Faye has made. She was a free spirit who caused a lot of mayhem and laughter. She took nothing seriously. She loved life and having fun. She was always laughing and giggling.

"Faye was a member of Belvoir Pony Club and had a huge circle of friends.

"Her brother, Liam, said everywhere she went she had an impact on people, probably because she didn't conform as an individual.

"All her teachers used to say you couldn't teach Faye anything because she found everything so funny. She had a fantastic imagination.

"She was infuriatingly infectious and those memories are helping us get through this.

"People have told us she always put a smile on somebody's face."

Phil said: "She and Liam got on well together all their lives. He said we didn't realise the impact she had on people. I understand her school friends are organising a day to celebrate her life."

The former Stathern primary and Belvoir High School pupil was at King Edward studying fine art, photography and psychology.

At an inquest in Nottingham yesterday, coroner Dr Nigel Chapman recorded a verdict of accidental death.

Leave a tribute to Faye at the Lasting Tribute website