TRIBUTES have been paid to a young woman who died at the weekend after a car crash which also left her boyfriend in a critical condition.

Amelia Jane Rouse, known as Amy, aged 20, of Park Road, Willaston died on Saturday following the accident on the A500 at Weston.

She was a passenger in a Volkswagon Golf driven by her long-term boyfriend Ben Gerrard, aged 23, along the A500, towards the motorway, at 7.53pm on Saturday.

The car was in collision with a Vauxhall Vectra, which was travelling the opposite way, 35 metres on the Nantwich side of the junction with the A5020.

Ben suffered critical injuries and was taken to Leighton Hospital where he is currently a patient.

The two people in the Vectra were slightly injured and police are still investigating the cause of the accident.

Amy was a former pupil at Malbank School and had worked as a sales assistant at Bridgemere Garden World for the last 11 months.

She and Ben had been planning to buy a house in the summer and her parents Tony and Jacky, were beginning to plan her 21st birthday for June.

Amy was the only girl among four brothers, Jeremy, James, Jonathan and Jason.

"She was our only daughter and was very special," said Mr Rouse.

"She always loved flowers and plants. She was interested in flower arranging when she first left school

"She and Ben had been friends from school when she was 14, it was a long-term relationship and they had never been out with anyone else.

"They were always together, if anyone was an item, they were it. They were inseparable.

"She had lots of friends and had always been popular, everyone loved her."

Mrs Rouse said: "People used to say how she was always happy, someone at her work said to her how do you always manage to be so happy. She looked on the good side of things and was always optimistic."

Bridgemere Garden World managing director Colin Greenhalgh said: "Amy had not been with us that long, she joined in March last year.

"She had contact with the public and was always helpful and friendly, just what you would want in a member of staff.

"She was a very valued member of staff with a very pleasant personality and we will miss her very much."

Allan Kettleday, Malbank headteacher, said: "Amy was a very pleasant and popular young woman and we are all very sorry to hear of her death."

Amy's funeral will be held on Wednesday, February 10 at St Mary's Church, Church Lane, Wistaston at 11.30.

She will be buried in the churchyard, flowers are welcome and any friends who would like to attend are invited.

Converted for the new archive on 13 March 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.