Family reunited with woman’s ashes found in a filing cabinet

The ashes of a Scottish woman which were found in the bottom of a filing cabinet have been returned to relative almost 30 years after her death.

Volunteers at the Community Furniture Store, in York, found a brown paper parcel among a donation of old office equipment.

The container was labelled as the remains of Elizabeth Raitt, of Needless Road, in Perth, Scotland, 300 miles away.

She died nearly 30 years ago and was cremated in the city.

Her ashes somehow ended up at a furniture recycling warehouse, where volunteers were able to establish Mrs Raitt’s daughter, Fiona – a former law professor from Dundee – had recently moved to York.

Her removal company had delivered a surplus of furniture to the York charity, including the filing cabinet and the forgotten package.

Fiona’s partner Hilary Graham met the charity’s chairwoman of trustees Rose Batchelor at the centre to collect the ashes.

Ms Batchelor said: “We are delighted to have been able to return this item of immense personal value to the family.

“Our staff work very hard to help our customers and donors, but this did require a rather special effort.”

The charity, which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year, has helped thousands of people in York furnish their homes at a low cost.

It collects furniture for reuse and has been active in York since 1988, in Selby since 2004 and in Scarborough, serving the town and parts of Ryedale, since 2015.

The filing cabinet was sold shortly after it was brought in.

The buyer ran back into the shop holding the ashes. Local Lib Dem councillor Willie Wilson said he knew Mrs Raitt and her husband Eric, but had lost contact over the years.

“I’m delighted that Mrs Raitt’s ashes have been returned to the family,” he said. “It would have been very sad if they were lost forever.”

During her time in Dundee, Fiona carried out research into police powers and interpretation of evidence.

Elizabeth died at Hillside Hospital in November 1992.

Her death notice said donations were made at her funeral to Multiple Sclerosis Scotland.

Her husband Eric, who stayed on at the family home on Needless Road, died in 2007.