CHILDREN released orange balloons into the night sky as residents of a Wiltshire village paid a touching tribute to 12-year-old Charlotte Smith, who was killed in a collision with a car.

Parents blocked off the road in Lower Compton where the accident happened so 50 youngsters from the village youth club, dressed in Charlotte's favourite colour orange, could release their balloons in the road. As they let go the children shouted Charlotte's name before joining in prayer with Reverend Bob Hurley.

Charlotte's father Peter Smith said: "A lot of the children had dyed their hair orange and had blown up orange balloons. They went outside into the road by the tree and some of the parents blocked off the road so that they could go out there.

"The atmosphere was wonderful, I couldn't have wished for anything better.

"Obviously she was a very popular girl.''

Charlotte was riding her bicycle with her best friend Megan Whiston near the family home in the village near Calne on Friday afternoon when she was involved in an accident with a Vauxhall Tigra driven by a local woman. Charlotte was airlifted to Royal United Hospital in Bath but doctors were unable to save her.

Mr Smith and his wife Julia described Charlotte as a bright and cheerful dynamo of a daughter with a cheeky smile. They said she was a tomboy who enjoyed fishing and hated wearing skirts.

Charlotte, who has a 14-year-old sister, Hayley, had just completed her first year at John Bentley School.

Mr Smith, said: "Charlotte will be missed beyond words. We are all devastated. There's just a huge empty hole now."

Her funeral will take place at St James' Church in Cherhill at 1pm on Monday. Charlotte will then be cremated at Semington with her favourite teddy bear.

Charlotte loved motorbikes and so to honour her memory bikes ridden by Charlotte's uncle, family friends and a police outrider will flank the funeral procession.

Mrs Smith has asked anyone wishing to attend the funeral not to wear black but instead to join the family in celebrating Charlotte's life by dressing or carrying something orange.

Charlotte's parents said they wished to thank Wiltshire Police, Wiltshire Air Ambulance, the Ambulance Service and RUH in Bath and family liaison officer PC Dave Townsend for their heroic efforts to save Charlotte and their support for the family.

Mr and Mrs Smith are extremely grateful to their family and friends for their help and support and all their floral tributes for Charlotte. They have asked for family flowers only and any donations to go to the Wiltshire Air Ambulance, care of the funeral directors, E. Wootten & Son, in North Street, Calne.