Joshua Travis’s family said he had an ‘incredible energy for life’ with ‘so much love to give’
Tributes have been paid to a 14-year-old boy who has tragically died after he was hit by a train. The family of former Nottingham Forest academy goalkeeper Joshua Travis say they have been left with a gap in their lives that “will always be impossible to fill.”
British Transport Police confirmed that officers were called to the railway line in Burton Joyce, Nottinghamshire, just after 7pm on Wednesday (November 26) to reports of a casualty on the tracks.
A 14-year-old boy was pronounced dead at the scene, and the incident is not being treated as suspicious, NottinghamshireLive reports. Tributes quickly flooded in from the football family as teenager Joshua was identified as the victim.
A tribute to Joshua has now been released on behalf of his family, which says: “Josh was a lad with an incredible energy for life, an infectious and mischievous smile, kind sparkling eyes, and so much love to give.
“He leaves a gap in our lives that is and will always be impossible to fill, and we will miss him forever.”
Aspire FC, a youth football club in Nottingham where Joshua played in the under-15 team, previously confirmed that it had decided to postpone all of their games this weekend to pay respects to his family.
Tributes have been paid by scores of football clubs in the region, with the Burton Joyce Football Club (BJFC) releasing a statement saying: “The whole BJFC family is absolutely devastated by the tragic loss of Josh.
“The Travis family have been a huge part of our club for so many years, and our hearts are with them during this unimaginable time. We will be holding a minute’s silence at all games this weekend to remember Josh and to pay our deepest respects.”
Aspire FC previously said in a statement: “With the blessing of his parents, everybody at Aspire FC is devastated to post surrounding the passing of our U15 goalkeeper Josh Travis.
“Josh was a fantastic goalkeeper and a great character in the group. Everybody that came across Josh described him as a pleasure to have around with his polite and funny nature.
“Josh made a real impact in his age group, both as a footballer but more importantly as a person and will be sorely missed at the club.”
