AS she did in life, Pako Moholo brought together different races, religions and generations when a service of thanksgiving was held in her memory.

The 200 friends and family that gathered in her adopted home town of Ferryhill, County Durham, were testimony to the bubbly 16-year-old's infectious personality.

In just seven months in the country, Pako became a treasured friend to many and, last night, they gathered at Dean Bank Literary Institute to celebrate the time they shared with her.

The service was led by the Immanuel Christian Fellowship, of which she was an active member until her death earlier this month.

Pastor Richard Smith said: "The success of Pako's life was not measured in riches but in the friendships she made, which were many."

During the service, friends performed songs and read poems and passages they penned in memory of the fashion and music-loving teenager.

Dean Waterworth, her classmate at St John's School, summed up their feelings.

He said: "I am not sure why God has chosen to take Pako away from us at such a young age but I must thank God for bringing Pako into my life.

"It may have only been for seven months, but in those months I can't remember a single day where Pako was not happy and bubbly and bringing a smile to the face of all the people who met her."

The 16-year-old, who planned to study chemistry and business at college, died in the bath shortly after midnight on Friday, February 17, following an epileptic fit earlier in the day.

Her parents, Frank and Ruth Moholo, emigrated to England from South Africa last year to give Pako, her 11-year-old sister, Bakang, and brother Karabo, seven, a good education.

Mrs Moholo had already moved to the region four years earlier to find work as a care home nurse and to set up a family home in Hackworth Street, Ferryhill, before the rest of the family joined her.

After the service, head of year 11 at St John's School, Lisa Byron, said: "Pako was a very special individual, her smile brightened up every day.

"She had a tremendous work ethic, she inspired other students and she accepted every challenge she faced. She was a real asset to the school and will be missed."

The family now plan to have Pako repatriated to Klerksdorp, near Johannsberg, in South Africa, later this week where she will be buried.