Fresh tributes to tragic lightning victim Jeremy Prescott
Police officers have joined the tributes to the Telford youth worker who was killed by a lightning strike in the Brecon Beacons.
Jeremy Prescott, 51, from Little Dawley, had been leading children on a Duke of Edinburgh Award gold medal expedition when he was hit by lightning on Sunday, July 5 - one of two lightning fatalities that weekend.
Constable Lee Thomas, of West Mercia Police, paid tribute to his friend, a father of two, with whom he had planned to climb Scafell Pike in the Lake District.
"I have known Jez since the late 1990s when we used to work together at Taws Printers on the Halesfield Industrial Estate, Jez in the press room and myself in the art studio," he said.
"We both applied to join the police together in around 2001 but Jez quickly found that his forte lay in Youth Work and the difference he knew he could make to young peoples lives in the Telford area.
"We used to talk regularly about how he had helped many young people in Telford make positive changes to their lives through his work with the Youth Engagement service and I'm sure many of them will be just as devastated as I am to hear of his unexpected passing.
"Jez still retained his interest in police work as another selfless way of putting something back into the community and joined the Special Constabulary for several years, being based at Malinsgate and Madeley police stations in Telford.
Constable Thomas, added: "I've spoken to a number of fellow police officers, specials, PCSOs and police staff these last few days, all of whom had nothing but good things to say about Jez, which again is testament to the impression he has left on many, many lives.
