A mother fought back tears as she told how the heart of her family had been torn away by the A23 crash.

Gloria Marshall said: "So many people's lives will never be the same again. We send our love to them all."

Mrs Marshall, 50, of Gossops Drive, Crawley, lost her son Aaron Sharpe, 20, and daughter Katherine Sharpe, 18, who were in a BMW which left the southbound carriageway and crashed into a Land Rover Freelander heading north.

Terry Smoker, 42-year-old father of a third victim in the BMW, Gemma, 17, broke down in tears.

Mr Smoker, a window cleaner, of Henshaw Close, Bewbush, Crawley, told an emotional press conference at Haywards Heath police station yesterday: "I was never ashamed to tell Gemma I loved her ... and when you go home to your kids tonight make sure you say it."

Mr Smoker said nothing could have prepared him, wife Jacqueline, 53, her two brothers and family for the loss of Gemma.

He said: "She was beautiful ... she lived life to the full and did what she wanted to do.

"I miss her so much ... it doesn't sink in. I just want her back."

Mrs Marshall said Aaron and Katherine had left behind two older sisters and two younger brothers.

She continued: "Aaron and Katherine were literally the core of our family.

"We will never forget the tender spirits who have gone ahead. They will be in our hearts forever. We, as a family, also knew and loved the friends who died in the car along with Aaron and Katherine.

"They were our friends too. We send them our love and deep-felt sympathy to their families.

"It is my privilege to be the mother of six beautiful and special people.

"I will miss the two who have been taken from me for the moment but I thank them both for the privilege and opportunity that they have given me.

"I love you, Aaron and Katherine. Look after one another."

Of Aaron, Mrs Marshall said: "The eldest of my sons, full of life and energy, mischievous, caring, compassionate, fun-loving.

"Aaron loved all his brothers and sisters. He has not had the easiest of lives ... and experienced a lot in his short life.

"He loved his friends and has some great mates. He enjoyed drinking, socialising, playing pool and was someone that people found easy to talk to.

"He also loved his nieces and nephews and was excited at the opportunity of becoming a god-father to the baby of one of his close friends.

"He was a very handsome young man. He and his sister Katherine have always been very close. Both looked up to their big sisters, Ceri and Claire. Both looked after their younger brothers, Andrew and Stephen."

She spoke of her children's friendship with Danielle Billingham, 17, from Crawley, and Mitch Treliving, 19, from Faygate, who also died in the crash.

She said: "I know they will be looking after one another now and looking after Gemma, Danielle and Mitch.

"That was the kind of people they were. Very caring."

Of her "baby" Katherine, she said: "The youngest of my daughters. She is beautiful both on the outside and on the inside.

"She loved her brothers and sisters. She was following in her sister Claire's footsteps, not only in training as a hairdresser but in her desire to be like the big sister she loves so much.

"She also considered her eldest sister Ceri to be her best buddy and loved her dearly.

"Katherine was like another mum to her younger brothers Andrew and Stephen.

"She said she would always look after her big brother Aaron and so it does not surprise me that Aaron did not depart this world without Katherine being there to go with him.

"This sums up their togetherness.

"Katherine has such a genuine, caring nature and has always been highly regarded by all her very close friends. She had many very close friends and each and every one she loved and valued.

"Katherine was a person whose talent was to be able to relate to people. She genuinely cared. She loved all of her family members and has worked hard to maintain relationships with all of them.

"She was best buddies with Gemma and had taken Danielle under her wing over the past week and a bit.

"She always had a smile on her sunny face and lit up a room when she entered."

Mrs Marshall added: "Please remember their smiling faces."

She expressed sympathy to the families and friends of the others who died and thanked Aaron and Katherine's friends for their love and concern.

Mrs Marshall added: "We also thank all those wonderful men and women who have had the horrendous job of dealing with this awful accident and its consequences.

"We thank all of the people who helped at the scene and have helped away from the scene. So many lives will never be the same again as a result of what happened. We send our love to you all."

As she finished her tribute, Mrs Marshall embraced Gemma's father Terry and both wept.

Her daughter Claire Tanner, 26, from Copthorne, owns Signatures Hair Salon in Three Bridges, where Katherine and Gemma were training.

Miss Tanner said: "You would have had to know them all to know how amazing they were.

"Our only peace is knowing they are up there looking after us all."

Matt Luff, a teacher at Holy Trinity School in Crawley, also paid tribute yesterday to his student Mitch Treliving, whom he described as a popular and friendly student with a love of art.

Mr Luff, 33, said: "Mitch was very hands-on and liked practical subjects. He was a perfectionist with an eye for detail.

"He was especially fond of art and he would work hard on something when it caught his imagination."

The teenager left at 16 with a GCSE grade C in art. He also took maths, double English, double science, religious studies, design and technology, French and history.

Mr Luff said: "He was honest and had a good sense of fair play. He was popular with both pupils and staff.

"He had a great love of cars and vehicles. He liked energetic things."

As well as the five friends, three people in the Land Rover died - Kate Beasley, 30, her husband Toby, 33, both from Godalming, Surrey, and two-year-old Marcus Mohabir, also from Godalming.

The child's father Stephen, 30, the lone survivor, is conscious and in a stable condition in intensive care at the Princess Royal Hospital in Haywards Heath.

His wife Tracey, also 30, missed the day trip to Brighton with her family to attend a wedding.