Maidenhead & Windsor

Eighteen-year-old Robin Graham, of Squirrels Lane, High Wycombe, died after he got into difficulties in Summerleaze Lake, in Summerleaze Road, Maidenhead.

The incident happened shortly before 7pm.

It is believed that Robin entered the lake to retrieve a football when he got into difficulties in the water.

He was with friends at the time, who tried to save him; however they were unable to do so.

His death is not being treated as suspicious and the matter is now with the coroner. An inquest has been opened and adjourned to a date yet to be fixed.

A post-mortem has revealed that Robin died from drowning.

His family have today released a photograph and the following tribute to their loved one:

"Robin was an exceptional young man and a devoted son and loving brother to his sister Vala.

"He loved football, having played since he was seven years old in teams including Oakridge Baptist Church, Union Baptist, Hithercroft Under 16's whilst still only 14, and ultimately captaining the 2nd XI at Sir William Borlase's Grammar School in the Upper Sixth, an honour and challenge he accepted with relish and characteristic enthusiasm. His leadership qualities and strong team approach brought him both respect and accolades from his fellow players.

"His other passion in life was writing and he contributed to the school magazine and the Wycombe Wanderers fanzine on a number of occasions, and worked at the Maidenhead Advertiser for his work experience placement at 16, covering the front page news story as well as articles and photos captions inside the paper. This experience strengthened his resolve to pursue a career in journalism and he'd just completed a two-week summer school at Bournemouth University, where he had been accepted for a multi-media journalism course in October. A bright future was ahead of Robin but was so tragically taken away in this terrible accident.

"We have had overwhelming messages of support from family and friends from all over the world and we would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge and thank everyone for their kindness at this time of our deep personal sadness.”

Thames Valley Police ~ Maidenhead