Mourners wearing purple pay respects to woman found dead in forest

A cortege followed as a horse-drawn hearse arrived at the church for the funeral of Katie Kenyon.

The coffin for Katie Kenyon is carried into St Leonard’s Church, Padiham, near Burnley (Peter Byrne/PA)

(PA Wire)

Mourners wore purple to celebrate the life of mother-of-two Katie Kenyon at her funeral service.

On Friday, more than 200 people gathered in her home town of Padiham, Lancashire, to pay their respects to Ms Kenyon, 33, whose body was found within the Forest of Bowland a week after she went missing.

Her family asked those attending proceedings at St Leonard’s Church to wear her favourite colour or any colourful.

A carriage, drawn by two white horses adorned with purple plumes, led the cortege to the church.

A horse drawn hearse arrives for the funeral of murdered mother of two Katie Kenyon (Peter Byrne/PA)

(PA Wire)

On top of the carriage were floral tributes to “Katie” and “Mum”.

Purple balloons were also attached outside the town centre church.

A private burial service was to follow.

A floral tribute reading Mum (Peter Byrne/PA)

(PA Wire)

Ms Kenyon was last seen at around 9.30am on April 22, when it is thought she travelled in a silver Ford Transit van which left Burnley towards the Bolton-by-Bowland area of Lancashire.

Police said officers discovered a body on the evening of April 29 in an area of the Forest of Bowland after receiving new information about where Ms Kenyon could be.

A 50-year-old Burnley man has appeared in court charged with her murder and faces trial in November.