Parents pay tribute to 'loving' son Jay Cartmell, 8, after farm tragedy

The parents of a young boy who was died after being shot in the head at a farm in Cumbria have paid tribute to their son.

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Frizington boy Jay Cartmell, 8, died on September 28 at the farm near Warcop. A 60-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter and has since been released on bail. He has been described by parents Leigha and James Cartmell as 'loving, kind and full of mischief'.

In a statement, they said: “We are heartbroken at the passing of our perfect little boy - Jay Cartmell, eight years. Jay Cartmell and parents Leigha and James (Image: Supplied) "He was loving, kind and full of mischief, the best boy that anyone could wish for and the third corner of our beautiful family ‘triangle’. Subscribe to the News & Star today and get the latest news, sports, and entertainment delivered straight to your device.



“Jay loved being outdoors, the muddier he could get the better and was starting to follow in the footsteps of his dad with his obsession for Speedway at Workington, where he first attended aged one. "He always went to the Pit to fist bump his heroes, local racers Harry and Sam McGurk. Jay was a talented rider himself and was showing real promise for the sport.

(Image: Supplied) “Jay was a defender at Whitehaven Miners Football Club. "He would occasionally score a goal, albeit an own goal, but that didn’t dampen his enthusiasm. "His favourite player was Erling Haaland and he had a dream to move to Brazil and to meet Lionel Messi.

" Jay Cartmell was a defender at Whitehaven Miners Football Club (Image: Supplied) READ NEXT: School pays tribute to eight-year-old boy who died following firearm incident “Jay enjoyed fishing and rabbiting with his Dad and helped care for the family pets:- four lurchers, five ferrets and his own bearded dragon (Spike) which he received following a school achievement. "He loved school and had a talent for maths. “Jay was extremely loved, not only by us but by all who met him.

"He had fantastic friends and always had a smile on his face. "We will miss him every day, but his love surrounds us and his memory will never fade. “We would like to express our sincere gratitude to all who have looked after Jay: The Air Ambulance Service; PICU, Ward 12 RVI and the Snowdrop Suite at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital.

" “Also special thanks to the Workington Speedway Supporters Club for their amazing donations; JD Autos and Fellview Surgery for their ongoing support; the Workington Comets, especially Andrew Bain, for a special gift which we will treasure forever and to Whitehaven Miners for all that they have done and continue to do in Jay’s honour.”.