A woman who lost two sons and her fiance in the Boxing Day tsunami paid them a moving tribute at their funeral service.

Sharon Howard, 36, was on holiday in Thailand with sons Taylor, six, and Mason, eight, and her 44-year-old boyfriend David Page, from Graffham, near Petworth, when the tragedy struck.

Their funerals took place yesterday at the packed St Anta and All Saints Church in Carbis Bay, near St Ives, Cornwall.

Local people lined the pavements as the cortege made its way through the streets.

In a tribute read by Rural Dean the Reverend Andrew Wade, Ms Howard, from Hayle, Cornwall, said her sons were both "special little boys" who gave her joy, laughter and tears.

She said: "But you made me the proudest mum in the world."

Paying tribute to her fiance, she said: "Anyone can become a father but it takes someone special to be a dad and that is what you were to the boys.

"We shared some very precious times together as a family, I will miss the man you were and the husband you were about to become.

"I was loved by three very special people who will be in my heart forever."

Mr Page, a commercial deep sea diver, had been travelling with Ms Howard and her children since December 2, and he proposed to her on Christmas Day just a few hours before the tsunami struck.

He was killed, together with Taylor and Mason, when the tidal wave struck their hotel in Khao-Lak, Phang-Nga, on Boxing Day.

Ms Howard, who was born in West Bromwich but moved to Cornwall at the age of nine, suffered head injuries and was taken to hospital in the Thai capital, Bangkok.

Her sons were pupils at the St Uny School in Carbis Bay.

A family friend, Alan Pellow, told the church congregation yesterday that Mason and Taylor were "real family boys" with "unforgettable smiles".

Their headteacher, Terry Lister, said they were "extremely popular boys", adding that the tsunami became a personal tragedy for everyone at the school when it was realised they were involved.

Mr Page's brother, Martin Page, said David was happy with Ms Howard and the boys and described him as a gentleman with a great sense of humour.

The tsunami hit at 7.58am on Boxing Day last year when an earthquake measuring 9.3 on the Richter scale ripped apart the sea floor off the coast of north-west Sumatra.

It was the second biggest earthquake in recorded history and set off a devastating tsunami which travelled thousands of miles across the Indian Ocean.

An estimated 150,000 people in countries including Indonesia, the Maldives, Sri Lanka, Thailand, India and Somalia were swept to their deaths and thousands of others found themselves homeless.

Countless holidaymakers were also killed in the disaster.

As well as the human impact, the disaster had a devastating economic effect on the different countries hit.

Through the Disasters Emergency Committee, Britons have donated more than £300 million for aid to help people living in the ravaged region