The family of a teenager who died in a tragic boat accident collected their son's A-level results yesterday in a heartbreaking moment.
They paid tribute to the "amazing" young man, saying he was a "determined" student and that "everything was just coming up right for him".
Steve Roberts, 19, died during a stag party trip in Prague earlier in June, just two days after finishing his A-levels in Thornleigh Salesian College in Bolton, Greater Manchester.
He boarded an evening cruise ship down the river in the Czech capital but he disappeared just four minutes in to the journey.
It is believed he fell off the boat's top deck and hit the low railing before crashing into the sea below.
Rescuers found his body in the waters the next day.
His mother and stepfather said: “Steven did what Steven wanted to do, he lived minute by minute and lived life as he wanted. It’s like he went to the shop one day and picked up a bottle of motivation.
“He was the kindest person and always put others first. He had so much going for him and so much love to give. He was a credit to himself.”
Mr Roberts had achieved three Distinctions and a Distinction*, a merit and B grade in his A-level and BTEC results at Thornleigh.
The family said: “He was an underdog, he decided to stay on at sixth form for a third year and retake some of his exams. He came out of his shell so much in the last year and, in the last few months, he really knuckled down.”
Steve had attained a place at his first choice university, Bangor University, to study Criminology - a course he was excited to start.
The family statement added: “Steven would have been the first in our family to go to university and it was all his choice. It was like he woke up one day and just decided what he wanted to do.
“He was all enrolled at Bangor with his best friend, we had been down together as a family, he had picked his room. He was over the moon to be going.
“We are just so proud of him and we always will be.”