A special report from the service in Coatbridge

MOURNERS in pink lined the long approach from well before 10am, blending in with the ribbons and flowers which had been tied to fences and posts outside Coats Funeral Home.

Music began playing before some relatives had even entered, with versions of Alesha's favourite songs ringing out through the former church and into the streets outside. Her mother, Georgina Lochrane, known affectionately as Genie, was escorted inside by undertakers and her partner George, a look of determination and deep sadness clear on her face as Highland Cathedral rang out from the nearby bagpipes.

Council workers at the adjacent high school watched on in their cigarette break. Those living across the road pulled their curtains aside or walked to the front of their gardens. Some who knew the family, but could not bring themselves to enter the funeral home, stood vigil outside while the service took place. Wherever they had come from, they were all wearing pink – in their hair, on their wrists or even dyeing their beards. They had been touched by this tragedy of a little girl with her whole life ahead of her.

While mourners took their seats, the music of Randy Newman and Take That provided the background to tears and shaking heads. People knew that this should not have happened, they should not be here.

Bute-born musician Danny Sweet was the man tasked with staying strong, channelling his emotion through the songs loved so much by Alesha as he sang and played guitar. Just last week he had been doing the same on the streets of Glasgow, looking to raise money to help Alesha's family through this unthinkably difficult time in their lives. He raised nearly £500 in a single day, and no doubt brought some level of comfort to a funeral service which everyone inside knew should not have been necessary.

In front of the pews lay Alesha's little pink coffin and a lone lantern atop it, with a picture of the six-year-old clutching a snowball alongside them. As the speakers began, it became clear that the lantern was a representation of Alesha – bright and warm.

Tributes to the little girl from Coatbridge were led by funeral director Fraser MacGregor, who spoke of a "very loving girl, friendly, good natured and full of love". Alesha's love of gymnastics, music, watching TV and making jokes were all mentioned, but central to all of these was something at the heart of Alesha – family. She spent time watching Peppa Pig with her younger sister Courtney. She learned gymnastics moves from her mum. Even her jokes centred around her loved ones.

The crowds looking on were told that Alesha was a talented writer and an inquisitive young girl, with anecdotes shared of an intelligent youngster who was "wise beyond her years". Teachers from Chapelside Primary, where Alesha had finished for summer only weeks ago, were the first to speak.

Her class teacher, Emma Gibson, told of the joy that Alesha was to teach. "Alesha was a bright and bubbly little girl, she always came into class with that big beautiful smile of hers," she said. "It was an absolute pleasure to have taught Alesha. I'm so grateful to have known this special little girl." Their tribute was finished by headteacher Wendy Davie, who added: "May your smile shine brightly wherever you are, you will always be remembered as our Chapelside star."

Prayers and moments of contemplation provided intermissions to the tributes to Alesha, giving those in attendance a chance to wipe the tears from their faces before the emotional family told of the special child who had been taken from them too soon.

Alesha's father Robert, who sat one row back from his daughter's coffin, shuffled aside to let his partner Toni McLachlan past to give another tribute to their "little angel", reading a poem from the two of them through her tears.

Calum MacPhail, Alesha's uncle, gave the final tribute to the schoolgirl. Dressed in his kilt and dotted with pink, he told how it was he who looked up to Alesha, and not the other way around.

Visibly lost for words, he appealed to those listening not to despair, as Alesha would not want them to worry for her. "Alesha would rather hurt than you," he said. "She had a great amount of love for absolutely everyone." Instead he asked everyone watching to go to their loved ones and hold them, tell them what they mean to you. As he left the stage he did just that, embracing Alesha’s mother Genie, before returning to his seat.

Closing the service MacGregor recounted that Alesha was fascinated by bubbles and had always wanted a bubble party on her birthday. And as music played at the close a machine sent bubbles drifting above the mourners' heads, glittering, before floating down to burst, also lasting too short a time.

As mourners left the crowd outside had grown larger, with the army of pink flanking either side of the street as the Alesha left on final journey in a horse-drawn carriage. Her guard of honour stood there as they had stood vigil in Airdrie last week and Rothesay before, silently looking on as Alesha MacPhail rode off into the distance to be laid to rest.