Liam Payne's funeral is taking place today as friends and family gather to pay tribute to the former One Direction star.

A horse-drawn carriage could be seen arriving at the church carrying a dark blue coffin with silver handles, topped with white roses. 

On top of the carriage, there was a red floral tribute which said 'son' and a blue tribute which said 'daddy'.

But many fans are wondering why there was also a floral bowling pin display.

Why are there bowling pins at Liam Payne's funeral?

Nicola Roberts and Kimberley Walsh, 43, were among the first to arrive as they rallied around their fellow Girls Aloud member Cheryl, the mother of Payne's seven-year-old son, Bear. 

They were followed shortly later by Payne's girlfriend Kate Cassidy, 25, who was accompanied by her friend Damian Hurley, 22. 

One of the floral displays shows bowling pins and a ball - a nod to his love of bowling, which Ms Cassidy said he did four times a week.

Liam Payne's funeral:

Girls Aloud singers Nicola Roberts and Kimberley Walsh were seen earlier in front of the church’s entrance wearing long black coats and sunglasses.

Among the guests expected to attend the private funeral, being held at St Mary’s Church in Amersham, Buckinghamshire, are his former One Direction bandmates Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Zayn Malik and Louis Tomlinson.

Dozens of locals and fans have also gathered outside the church to pay their final respects.

The entrance of the church which is hosting the service has been decorated with candle lanterns and white roses that have been arranged in surrounding shrubbery.

Following Payne’s death fans around the world held vigils in his memory, including a shrine to the late star in his hometown of Wolverhampton.

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Payne formed the boy band One Direction in 2010, alongside Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan and Harry Styles, after they individually auditioned for The X Factor. 

The late singer first auditioned for The X Factor in 2008 when he was 14, singing Frank Sinatra’s Fly Me To The Moon, with judge Simon Cowell telling him to return to the ITV talent show two years later. 

In 2010, Payne impressed the judges with a rendition of Michael Buble’s Cry Me A River before being put with four other solo hopefuls at the boot camp stage of the competition – the group which later became One Direction.