A COMMUNITY is suffering a 'devastating loss' following the tragic death of a Llay teenager.

Chantelle Jones, a year nine pupil at Castell Alun High School, passed away unexpectedly on Thursday (October 1).

Following the tragic and premature death of one of their students, Castell Alun High School thanked everyone for their support and concern in such trying times, and particularly for respecting the privacy of Chantelle's family and school friends.

Staff have paid tribute to the 'beautiful soul' who 'tirelessly put others before herself'.

Mr Paul Edwards, Acting Headteacher at Castell Alun High School said: "Our school family has suffered an absolutely devastating loss. We have no words which can fully express the pain and hurt that we all feel, and yet we know that Chantelle's family are experiencing sorrow on an altogether different scale.

"Chantelle had such a lovely way of showing she cared, and this was evident to all, but especially those in her close friendship group. She had both spirit and character, and we all recognised her wonderful potential. No family or community should ever have to experience a loss of this kind.

"School does not feel right without Chantelle. We will all miss her; I suspect in ever-increasing measure over the coming weeks. At Castell Alun, we will support and care for each other in order to find a path through, but acknowledge that it will take considerable time for any of us to comprehend that such a promising young student has been taken from us in this cruel manner, and Chantelle will remain in our hearts forever."

Miss Beth Jones - Student Development Manager for Chantelle's Year 9 Group added: "We are heartbroken to hear of the tragic passing of our Year 9 student Chantelle. She joined us at the start of Year 7, and throughout her all too brief time with us it was so clear that Chantelle had a beautiful soul.

"She will be so very sorely missed by her family, friends, teachers, and peers here at Ysgol Castell Alun. Chantelle was a caring and loving friend and she tirelessly put others before herself. The amount of love, sorrow and upset shown since Chantelle's passing shows the massive impact she had on everyone she met.

"As a school we will support our students and staff through this tragic time, and all our love goes out to Chantelle's family."