£3k in memory of crash tragedy teens

Friends and family of two Dudley teenagers killed in an horrific car smash in Stourport earlier this year have raised more than £3,000 for the County Air Ambulance in their memory.

Champion kickboxer Sam Cox, formerly known as Sam Passey, from Quarry Bank, died along with his friend Shane Toogood, from Netherton, in the crash in May. Both were aged 19. The pair were members of Lodge Farm Football Club which joined forces with their family to organise a charity football match, barbecue and family fun day earlier this month.

It raised a total of £1,950 and brings the total amount collected by the two families since the crash to £3,360.73.

The money will be handed over to the County Air Ambulance at a special presentation on Saturday.

Shane's grandmother Sylvia Casey and uncle Tony Jones said they were grateful to everyone for their support.

"We would like to thank everyone for rallying around and taking part in all the fundraising events we have organised to remember Shane and Sam.

"We are planning to make the family fun day a yearly event and hopefully next time round we will be able to raise even more money.

"Both Shane and Sam were airlifted to hospital and we wanted to do our bit to thank them for all their effort they put into trying to save their lives," they said.

They were travelling in a black VW Golf which overturned and somersaulted into the air while overtaking a red VW Golf, in Dunley Road.

Mr Cox was a landscape gardener at his father's business, Waterside Fencing Ltd, while his friend had completed an apprenticeship at Birmingham Construction College, after which he worked as a roofer.

Sam, the oldest of four brothers, was a second dan world champion kick boxer.

A 20-year-old man from Stourbridge and an18-year-old from Brierley Hill have been arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving and bailed pending further inquiries.