York Minster funeral for policewoman: hundreds to say final farewell

The funeral of PC Rosie Prior, a 45-year-old response officer based in York, will take place at the Minster from 11am. It will be a full ceremonial police funeral involving officers lining the final part of the route for the funeral cortege as it arrives at the Minster. Parking will be suspended in Duncombe Place between 6am and 1.30pm.

PC Rosie Prior (Image: North Yorkshire Police) PC Prior and Ryan Welford, 41, from Knaresborough, died after being struck by a passing lorry on the A19 near Bagby on the morning of Saturday, January 11. North Yorkshire Police said more than 800 people - including PC Prior's family, friends and colleagues - will attend the funeral today. Members of the public will not be able to enter the Minster for the service but are welcome to line the route the funeral cortege will take along Duncombe Place, the force said.

The service will be live streamed for the public to watch via York Minster's YouTube channel [1]. It will be followed by a private service at Thirsk crematorium. North Yorkshire Police said PC Prior's family has asked for donations to the Police Children's Charity instead of flowers.

The charity aims to support police families by helping to ease the financial pressures of bringing up children in the face of life-changing circumstances. Donations can be made via the Just Giving page: Rosie Prior's Funeral - JustGiving .[2][3] As The Press reported, PC Prior was off-duty on January 11 when she stopped to help after a crash which involved a silver Audi and a black Ford Focus on the A19.

She and Mr Welford, who was driving the Audi, were standing on the verge of the road when they were hit by the lorry. A teenage boy who was a passenger in the Audi was left seriously injured after the crash. Recommended reading:

Tim Forber, North Yorkshire Police's chief constable, previously said PC Prior "epitomises the very best of British policing". "Yesterday morning she was not on-duty on a shift, she was off-duty and she came across a road traffic collision on the A19, and she stopped to help," he said outside Fulford Road station the day after PC Prior's death. "She got out, and like many police officers up and down the country, put herself on-duty.

"And it was whilst dealing with that incident that she was tragically killed."

Mr Welford's family described him as a "hard working and loving father, husband, son and brother".

Ryan Welford (Image: North Yorkshire Police) "He will be greatly missed by his family and friends," they said in a statement released by North Yorkshire Police.

Police said the driver of the lorry, a 65-year-old man from Berwick-upon-Tweed, was arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving and later released under investigation.

References

^ YouTube channel (www.youtube.com)
^ Rosie Prior's Funeral - JustGiving (www.justgiving.com)
^ . (www.justgiving.com)