The family of a teenager who was killed in a crash have raised thousands of pounds for charity as part of a tribute to mark what would have been his 21st birthday.
In July 2022, Aaron Bell, 18, was the passenger of a car that was travelling between Bedale and Masham on the B6268, when it lost control and smashed into a tree - killing Aaron and two other teenagers.
Aaron, who his family has described as "fiercely positive" and having a "determination to succeed no matter what" was a keen rugby player for Wensleydale RUFC, as well as playing cricket for North Stainley, alongside his passion for showing sheep at events across the UK.
After leaving Bishop Burton College just before the fatal crash, the talented sportsman, who represented the college's ACE Rugby Academy, had his whole life ahead of him - which his mum, Nicola Bell-Percy, said was "cruelly cut short".
In March this year, the driver of the vehicle that Aaron was in, Joshua Chapman, was jailed for nine years and four months at Teesside Crown Court for his part in causing the death of Aaron and the two other teenagers in the car.
Following the last two years of turmoil for the family, they are now keen to raise money for charities that have helped them in the aftermath of the "darkest times of their lives" and to spread awareness of the impact of dangerous driving.
As part of the fundraising, on Saturday (September 7), a black tie event with 220 people attending took place at the Pavilions in Harrogate, which saw an online auction and a celebration of Aaron's life take place, as well as 1500 raffle tickets being sold by Luke Bell-Percy and Jake Shuttleworth.
This was followed by 16 of Aaron's friends and family running a 5k event in Masham on Sunday (September 8), which marked the exact day Aaron would have been 21; a special day for Aaron's family and friends, and one that his mum Nicola saw as "vital" to mark.
Both of these events supported Brake and the Yorkshire Air Ambulance, who flew out the night of the fatal accident between Bedale and Masham.
Aaron's mum Nicola said: "The Saturday, to have everyone there from every chapter of Aaron's 18 years was overwhelming - we had some cricket friends, his primary school friends, rugby friends, as well as his nearest and closest family and friends.
"Tears were shed at the event, laughs were shared but precious memories were remembered and recounted by everyone - and it was always important to mark Aaron's 21st."
The events were supported by a GoFundMe fundraising page, which has raised £2530 so far; surpassing the target of £1500 that the family had put in place, with other donations from the auction and other fundraising streams yet to be added to the total.
Aaron's family say that the fundraising page will stay open until Saturday (September 14) to allow for the final few donations.
Alongside the fundraising to pay tribute to Aaron, his family have been calling on the government for a change in the law when it comes to dangerous drivers and young people passing their test.
Since Aaron's death, the family have been working with the Brake charity, who deliver support to bereaved families, while also campaigning to make the roads a safer place.
Brake has supported the family - with those from the charity still supporting Aaron's family to this day.
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Nicola has already met with Rishi Sunak MP in an attempt to get his support to change the law when it comes to sentencing for dangerous driving and reducing the time that bereaved families have to wait for their killers to be sentenced.
She also wants the support of Mr Sunak when it comes to Graduated driver licensing (GDL), which is designed to delay the issuing of a full licence.
During the meeting with Mr Sunak, Nicola said that he has taken some of the points down to Parliament, where she hopes it will be talked about.
But she says that further work with charity Brake and linking with other families across the UK who have been bereaved by dangerous drivers will help to spread awareness and push forward the campaign.
Nicola added: "It would be a goal to get this campaign discussed in Parliament, we want to spread as much awareness as possible so other families don't have to go through what we did.
"People who pass their test when they are 18, they're technically adults but aren't fully responsible to know the dangers."
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