Family and friends of Kathryn Price, who was killed in a car crash on the Penryn bypass, gathered at her grave on Saturday and released balloons to mark the tenth anniversary of her death.

Kathryn's mum and step-dad, Alicia and Tony Watts, were joined by her brothers, Andrew, 21, and Lennon, 15; grandmother, Celia Prynn, and several friends as they celebrated her life and mourned her passing.

The Penryn College pupil, whose dad, Steve, lives in Falmouth, was just 15 when she died after being thrown from the back seat of a car which had ploughed down an embankment on the bypass and then been flung back onto the road. Since then, Alicia and her mum have visited Kathryn's grave every week and each year on the anniversary of the teenager's death balloons are released.

Even though the family has had a decade to come to terms with their loss, the pain has not abated. "It seems to be getting harder rather than easier," said Alicia. "We are better and are starting to learn to live with it, but maybe because it is the tenth anniversary, the lead up to it was hard going.

"I really got overwhelmed by the fact that so many people commented on Facebook and that all her friends were putting photographs of her up. By the time I got to her garden I was a bit emotional but it was lovely. We just don't want anybody to forget her. All her friends are 25 now but she is still so much a part of their lives."

One of her best friends, Codi Davies, is currently in Melbourne but she joined in the memorial via FaceTime and released her own balloon at the same time as the rest.

On Saturday evening Alicia and Tony returned to Kathryn's grave alone and Tony performed her favourite song, Queen's Don't Stop Me Now, after learning it in ten minutes that evening. It was a bitter-sweet moment for Alicia.

"For years I couldn't listen to that song," she said. "Hearing it, I would just see the coffin coming out the church but now I see Kathryn jumping up and down in front of her mirror. It was just a lovely way to finish the day, playing that for Kathryn."

Alicia and Tony's Penryn home is filled with photographs of Kathryn and her brothers. "I feel Kathryn is still here with us," said Alicia, 49. "We still talk about Kathryn daily. The last time I had a cuddle from her seems like a million years ago, but the accident just seems like it happened yesterday.

"A few years ago I would be angry that we will not see her get married or have children, but now it is easier. Because Kathryn was outgoing, sociable and fun loving, I cannot see that she would still be in Penryn. She loved kids and wanted to work with children, but I reckon she would be with Codi in Australia now.

"We were lucky we had a good 15 years with her and had a great relationship with Kathryn. We were close and she loved and respected us and at that age you can't ask for more. We still spend hours chatting with her friends - she was certainly loved and is still loved by so many people which makes it easier to bear. We did not have her for long, but she certainly made an impact on people's lives."