Jamie will never be forgotten, thanks to Arboretum memorial

As the heavens opened and unleashed a freak torrent of hail, thunder and lighting, more than 100 family and friends gathered to pay tribute to Jamie Cartwright.

They made their way to the skate park in Walsall Arboretum clutching 300 balloons to release into the sky and a sweet chestnut tree to plant in tribute.

It was the cheeky chappy's favourite spot, making it a fitting place to mark his 10th birthday – the first since his death.

But while he was recovering in Birmingham Children's Hospital he picked up an infection.

It went undetected and spread to his brain. On August 7 his family were told he had suffered a brain haemorrhage.

He died a few hours later. His family and friends have vowed never to forget the bright light in their life. It would have been his 10th birthday on January 17. Speaking for the first time publicly since Jamie's death, his parents Vicki and John said: "It is certainly going to be a day to remember with the freak storm starting as soon as the event was about to start. We were overwhelmed with how many people came to to remember Jamie.

"Also the staff at Walsall Arboretum were tremendous with planting the tree and making this event happen." At the event Jamie's cousin Liam Wall, 22, read a poem he had written and a family friend sang Celine Dion's Immortality. Jamie was first diagnosed with leukaemia in 2006 when he was two.

An internal investigation into the youngster's death at Birmingham Children's Hospital has now been launched following an official complaint by his parents.

The poem that was written and read out by Jamie's cousin, Liam Wall:

10 years ago, in a place not far,

It was a normal day, nothing bizarre,

But a child was born and the world became bright,

Jamie they called him, Jamie Cartwright.

As a baby he learned that the world could be bitter,

But he quickly discovered that he wasn't a quitter,

He grew strong and loving and never looked back,

And if you annoyed him, well, he'd give you a smack.

You see, we all loved Jamie, his smile would shine,

One minute he'd be happy and the next a little swine,

But what makes him unique, which he never knew,

Was how inspiring his strength was to me and to you.

Since the day he arrived, ten years have passed,

And what a difference he's made, in time gone so fast,

If words could bring him back, just for one day,

This poem wouldn't end and here we'd all stay.

We would like to say Happy Birthday and wish you were here,

You could run around and laugh like any other year,

But instead we gather here today, to make sure that you know,

That despite you not being with us, our love will forever grow.

So we plant this tree today, in remembrance and in love,

So that you can look down at us with a smile from above,

You'll see the skate park you loved, and I can bet,

That you know we'll always remember you and never, ever forget.