The family of Kieran ‘Lally’ McColl have urged local people to sign a petition to help persuade the Canal and River Trust to allow them to put a memorial bench at the spot on the canal where he was found.
The family raised £2,000 for the memorial bench in memory of Kieran, who accidentally fell into the canal in May. The family say the Canal and River Trust (CRT) have gone back on initial assurances that the bench could be sited on the towpath next to the canal where Kieran’s body was found, saying the spot is too narrow and too close to an established hawthorn hedgerow.
The CRT has offered an alternative site around 250 yards away – but the family say this isn’t good enough.
An online petition was launched today and you can sign it HERE.
Sharon Turner, Lally’s godmother, said: “The generosity of the people of Stone in helping us to raise the money for a memorial bench was overwhelming. The location that the Canal and River Trust are now suggesting for the bench is just too far away from where Kieran was found. This has upset all the family as they feel they will not benefit from the bench locations suggested. Kieran’s grandfather is 86 and the location by the bridge would be too far for him to walk to.
“We feel really let down and hope local people will sign our petition and help us to get the memorial bench where it should be, right at the spot where Kieran was found.”
A spokesman for the CRT said: “We do have some concerns about the chosen spot for the bench as it’s very close to the line of an established hawthorn hedgerow and the towpath is really quite narrow. We want people to be able to enjoy the bench in peace on a wider stretch where they won’t have to worry about people cycling or bumping past them.
“That’s why we’ve suggested a wider spot a short walk along the towpath which would be more suitable for the bench and also offered to install an appropriate memorial plaque at the family’s chosen location to give them a place to reflect.
“We appreciate this is a really difficult time for Lally’s family and we want to work with them.”
Friends and family of Kieran have been raising money for epilepsy charity Gemma’s Ray of Hope in Kieran’s memory. They want to raise £10,000. Click HERE for all the details. Nine young people completed the Three Peaks Challenge in under 24 hours last weekend to raise money for the charity – click HERE to see that story.
3 comments
Keith Lumley
I have two comments, neither of which are likely to be well received. Firstly, I am not a fan of memorials at the location of somebody’s demise and really think that things such as flowers and crosses at the roadside should not be allowed. The proper place to remember somebody and and reflect on their life is in the cemetery where they are buried or the spot where their ashes are scattered. Secondly, if there is to be a memorial bench, why does it have to be placed at the exact spot, in itself creating a hazard for users of the towpath. Surely as long as it is on the canal at a suitable spot where everyone can safely make use of it that would be OK, particularly as the CRT has offered to have a plaque installed at the exact spot where the body was found. That way the family gets the best of both worlds and everyone benefits.
elizabeth brock
The family should be allowed to put the memorial bench where they choose.
Ayrron Robinson
Get it done!