Birthday event in memory of Ashleigh
THE mother of a young teenager who took her own life is holding a memorial event to celebrate what would have been her 18th birthday.
Ashleigh Bowes, from Macclesfield, died three years ago after suffering with depression.
To remember her life, Ashleigh’s mum Sue Koppen is holding a remembrance get-together at her home in Macclesfield.
Ms Koppen is inviting close family and friends to the evening, which will be held on Friday, December 8.
Sue said Ashleigh was a popular and bubbly teenager who was also an animal lover and a keen equestrian, riding at a nearby stables.
She said: “She was a very kind and loving girl. She grew up around people with disabilities and I always made sure she mixed with different people.
“She loved horse riding and would go riding at Bank Farm, in Poynton. She would always go for the most challenging horse, she didn’t care, she was a bit of a thrill seeker.”
Ms Koppen says she wants to mark her daughter’s life and the kind of person that she was.
She will be inviting close family and friends, who knew Ashleigh, to join her and remember her daughter.
Guests will be given special cards, which will have a photograph of Ashleigh on. The card reads: “Do something special for someone in memory of Ash.”
Ashleigh’s mum wants the guests to take a card and encourage them to do a good deed and pass them on to other people in the future. She said: “I want to invite close family and friends and people that knew Ashleigh to come and raise a glass to her birth date, in memory of her.
“I was inspired by the Ariana Grande concert and so I wanted to do something for Ashleigh and to keep her memory going.”
Ashleigh was just 14 years old when she tragically died after taking an overdose, on August 30, 2014.
A former pupil at Fallibroome Academy, she had been suffering for some time with depression and anorexia and had been treated at The Priory.
In a note, she wrote that she had been teased about her anorexia and depres- sion. The celebration will take place at Ms Koppen’s home on Chatsworth Avenue and will start at 7pm.