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Candlelit vigil 'helped bring community together' to honour Stafford fire victims - PICTURES and VIDEO

"This community has stuck together this whole time, it's important for us."

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Hundreds of people marched to the police cordon

Hundreds of people have paid tribute to four children who died in a Stafford house fire by marching to the site of their death.

Local residents came in their numbers as they carried flowers, candles and tributes to four young victims of a house fire in the Highfields estate on Tuesday.

WATCH: Community unites in grief

The vigil took place on Thursday evening following the deaths of Riley Holt, aged eight, Keegan Unitt, six, Tilly Rose Unitt, four, and Olly Unitt, three.

Their mother Natalie Unitt, 24, and her partner Chris Moulton, 28, escaped with a two-year-old boy and remain in hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

With police closing the surrounding roads to allow the parade to head through, members of the family led the march through Sundown Drive and Milton Grove towards the police cordon on Whittingham Drive.

Left to right: Keegan, six, Tilly, four, Olly, three, and Riley, eight, all died in the fire. Baby brother Jack survived.

In the distance people can see the wreckage of the family home on Sycamore Lane that was devastated by the blaze.

Before the march began, the grandmother of the victims, who wished to not be named, fought back tears to address the crowd.

She said: "Thank you very much for coming and supporting our family.

"That's all I can say, just thank you very much."

The vigil began at The Oxleathers pub and was organised by landlady Debbie Howe.

She said: "It's just been very sad, the morning of it all and since then it's never stopped, I can't really put into words what has gone on.

"The community has been unreal, they've pulled together and Stafford and even further.

"The Just Giving page has been amazing, it's been astonishing.

"It's something that has never happened in my life, and I'm 40-years-old, it's very sad.

GALLERY: More pictures from the vigil

Tributes were left at the police cordon
Members of the family gather at the vigil
Hundreds of people marched to the police cordon
Hundreds of people marched to the police cordon
Hundreds of people marched to the police cordon
Candles were laid with a number of touching tributes

"We planned to do this with our pub church and some of the locals, so we put it on Facebook thinking some people might want to do it, and then we had a message from some of the family wanting to join us.

"Since then, I don't know what's happened but the amazement of it all has gone through the roof, I didn't expect this, I thought it would just be 15 or 20 of us.

"It's brilliant but overwhelming.

"I'm hoping it brings people together and let people reach out, some people need that.

"You would not believe it until you see, this speaks for itself, I can't believe that everyone is here to help, you can't ask for anything more.

"I've been here four years and this community has stuck together this whole time, it's important for us to pull together."

When the crowd arrived at the police cordon, Pastor Chrissy Remsburg, who is part of the Beacon Church that meets at the pub, read prayers to pray for the victims and the family they left behind.

She said: "As a pastor I wanted to come and support, in the midst of something really dark there aren't words to offer, but the people in the community came out because they love and care about the family.

"It's a tight-nit community and a good place.

"The grandmother said she was really overwhelmed by the number of people who came, especially as many of them don't know the family personally."

Following a moment of silence the family released balloons into the air before members of the march were able to come forward and add flowers and candles to the tributes laid at the end of Whittingham Drive.

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