Jemima Prees: Red Run Skiing Tragedy of 10-Year-Old Girl

Tributes have been paid to a young British girl who was killed when she skied into a tree at high speed.

Jemima Prees, 10, died during a half-term holiday with her family in the Austrian Alps. The girl, described as "a real ray of sunshine", lost control and skied into woods at Mayrhofen.

It happened on a red run, the second most difficult piste. But her family insisted that skiing down it was "well within her capabilities".

Her brother Barnaby spent 40 minutes frantically trying to revive her after the crash. His efforts were praised by rescue crews, who said they could not have done better.

After being airlifted off the mountain, Jemima died in hospital. The tragedy happened on the final run of the day.

Her family spoke of how she touched their lives on the eve of her funeral at a church in Colerne, Wiltshire.

Her father, Tim, said of her absence: "It's the new normal now. She's in my thoughts every moment of every day ever since. But we're learning to put one foot in front of the other and find a new way of doing things. All her toys are still there, all her pictures."

Mother Karen said: "She loved life.

"Sometimes she used to say, 'Today might be the last day, we must all tell each other that we love each other because we may not come back this evening'.

"She was very wise, wise beyond her years. She had things sewn up that some people never seem to grasp.

"She had 10 and a half years with us and that time was a perfect life. We're very, very grateful she shared it with us."

"She just had the knack of making everybody feel as if they were really important to her," her father continued.

"She had a smile for everybody. And she genuinely cared about other people, it wasn't just a surface smile."

Jemima's family has set up a charity in her memory, called Jemima's Gift. It works to help youngsters make the most of opportunities in arts, sports and education.