THE outpouring of support in the wake of the deaths of Viola Beach and band manager Craig Tarry has helped to raise almost £30,000 to keep their legacy alive.

The memorial fund was launched after the lives of Kris Leonard, River Reeves, Jack Dakin, Tomas Lowe and Craig were cut tragically short on the morning of February 13 leaving their loved ones devastated and a town in mourning. 

Their deaths sparked a charity push across the town as friends, family, fans and complete strangers vowed to make sure the five friends are never forgotten.

From charity cycles to gruelling marathons, the town has turned out in force raising thousands of pounds in the process.

The Mayor of Warrington Cllr Faisal Rashid praised the heartfelt efforts of the town where the band met.

He said: “I am very pleased to see how the whole community has come together to show their support for the band and their families.

“It will be a nice tribute to this talented group to have some form of memorial in the town.

“It is very sad what has happened but as a community we will always remember them.”

To mark the one year anniversary of their deaths, Arriva Buses worked with the families to celebrate their journey by redecorating five buses with pictures of the band and Craig.

An Arriva spokesman said: “We wanted mark the anniversary of the accident involving Viola Beach which resulted in five very special and talented young men losing their lives.

“The families have taken what was a tragedy and turned it into something positive.”

The buses will be used on routes from St Helens into the north of Warrington.

The families of the band and manager Craig are set to meet in the coming weeks to discuss how the money raised through the memorial fund will be used to honour their legacy.

While there are a number of ideas on the table, the family would like to hear from the band’s fans about how they would like to see the five friends honoured.

Email your suggestions to lauren.hirst@nqnw.co.uk. Contributions to the Viola Beach memorial fund can be made by visiting warrington.gov.uk/violabeach.