A bishop paid tribute today to the courage of the families of the 10 men who died in the Selby rail crash at a memorial service to mark the 10th anniversary of the tragedy.

The Bishop of Doncaster, the Right Reverend Cyril Ashton, addressed a congregation of those affected by the crash which happened on the East Coast main line, near the North Yorkshire village of Great Heck, on February 28, 2001.

Just over 100 people - including relatives of those who died, people who were injured and emergency service workers - packed into the tiny St Paul’s Church in the nearby village of Hensall.

Within earshot of the railway line and the M62 motorway, the bishop said: ‘‘Especially today I wanted to applaud the courage of the families in seeking to come to terms with this particular tragedy.’’ He went on: ‘‘One noted the courage of the families even in their loss and distress showing genuine deep courage.

‘‘The generosity of this local community which took the folk involved in the crash into their hearts and their homes.

‘‘The exemplary conduct of the chaplains, the media, the police and the emergency services.

‘‘The tireless efforts of medical, ambulance and fire brigade services to preserve and to protect life.

‘‘The clergy volunteers and friends who, though their presence, brought comfort and strength.

‘‘For today is time to bring healing to the past.’’ The crash happened after a London-bound GNER train struck a Land Rover which had careered off the M62 and crashed on to the track.

The derailed passenger train was then hit by Freightliner coal train with catastrophic results.

The Land Rover driver, Gary Hart, could not move his vehicle off the tracks and was calling the emergency services when the crash happened.

Hart had had little sleep the night before and he was later found guilty of 10 charges of causing death by dangerous driving. He was sentenced to five years in jail and served around half that time.

The accident claimed the lives of John Weddle, the GNER driver; Steve Dunn, the Freightliner driver, and eight other men - Steve Baldwin, Alan Ensor, Raymond Robson, Paul Taylor, Clive Vidgen, Barry Needham, Robert Shakespeare and Christopher Terry.

During today’s service in the remote church, 10 candles were lit in remembrance of those who died.

There was a tribute from Ann Edgar, the former customer service director of GNER, and Jonathan Metcalfe, the former GNER chief operating officer, who sent a message to the service from Australia.

Judith Cairncross, the sister of the GNER train’s guard Raymond Robson, read a poem.

During the service, the bishop said now was the time to reflect on the past but also move on with ‘‘renewed personal hope’’.

He pointed to 19-year-old James Dunn - the son of the Freightliner driver who died, Steve Dunn - who had become a respected train driver himself.

The bishop said: ‘‘He is a sign, it seems to me, of real hope.’’ Earlier, James and his brother Andrew, 22, paid tribute to their father.

They said Mr Dunn, 39, had ‘‘died doing the job he considered a paid hobby’’.

In a statement also signed by Mr Dunn’s widow, Mary, the family said they had ‘‘made an effort to rebuild our lives’’ since the crash.

Speaking ahead of the service to mark the anniversary today, the Dunn family said both boys were working full time and were happy and they thanked ‘‘everyone who has helped us through the past decade’’, including British Transport Police and rail companies.

They added: ‘‘There are also many individuals who have supported and helped us in many various ways. They know who they are. Today we will be thinking of Steve, the husband and daddy, who died doing the job he considered a paid hobby.’’ After the ceremony at the church, the families and rail staff moved to a private service in the memorial garden close to the trackside at Great Heck.