Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser
Moonlight Angel Walk held in memory of Erin
A Coatbridge woman who was reunited with her baby’s missing ashes in July after more than a decade has raised money for a stillbirth charity.
Julie Morrison, 36, gave birth to daughter Erin in 2003 but endured the pain of having to say goodbye to her child who succumbed to a blood clot in the placenta.
Two months ago we reported how Julie was told Erin was too small for any ashes to be gathered post-cremation, despite being born at 38 weeks.
A baby can be cremated, and have ashes collected, after 17 weeks.
Her ashes were discovered in Jonathan Harvey funeral directors in Glasgow after an investigation – where they had been left for 13 years.
And now, while she continues to search for answers, Shawhead resident Julie has organised a charity walk to raise money for SiMBA, who honour babies who have passed away, been stillborn or miscarried, by creating memory boxes and cold cots to allow parents to spend more time with their loved one.
The mother-of-three held a Moonlight Angel walk in Glasgow last Tuesday which raised more than £1000 for the charity.
Several dozen people attended the walk from Glasgow Green to George Square during which memorial poems were read, candles were lit and names of lost babies were read aloud before balloons were released into the night sky.
Julie told the Advertiser: “I was depressed after finding out Erin’s ashes had been sitting there for so long, as I felt like I’d let her down.
“I spoke with my husband Bryan and decided we wanted to help other parents who have gone through the same thing or even just lost a child.
“I searched online and found an event called the Moonwalk which raises money for breast cancer.
“So I organised a Moonlight Angel Walk for parents and families who have lost a baby.
“Nobody likes talking about babies passing away, but it happens and it’s important people realise it’s a real, small person that has gone.
“It allows parents to come together, help each other and talk about their experience because nobody can understand better than those who have experienced the same thing.”
Around 24 adults, plus children, attended the walk which started down at Glasgow Green at 11pm and ran on until nearly 2am at George Square.
It cost £ 20 to take part and a VirginMoney giving page was also set up which has taken the total raised into four figures.
And Julie aims to make the walk an annual event.
She added: “We’ve got the go-ahead from the council to do it again next year.
“We had more people than I expected taking part last week, so hopefully next year we’ll have even more.
“I’ve also applied for a small statue to be built in Glasgow Green so we have somewhere to gather each year and I should hear back about that within the week.
“SiMBA are so valuable to families who have lost a baby, so it’s great to raise money for them.”