A Scots gran who was killed in a hit-and-run on Hogmanay has become a ‘guardian angel’ for vulnerable tots from beyond the grave. Elizabeth Kennedy died after she was hit by a car near her home on Barrhead Road, just east of the junction with Ladykirk Crescent at around 7pm on December 31, reports Glasgow Live.
Her daughter Julie Kennedy says the former nurse had just come out of her flat to go to the shop over the road when she was hit at the pedestrian crossing. The 48-year-old said: “We have all been totally devastated by mum’s death. It’s not something you expect to be told on Hogmanay.
“We’ve been totally lost for words. It has had a huge impact on us. Mum meant everything. I spoke to her everyday and she’d come to my house to look after my dog twice a week. She wasn’t just my mum she was my best friend.
“She was a phenomenal mum. It’s hard to put into words what she meant. She was very caring and empathetic woman.”
Julie has since set up a GoFundMe to raise money for cuddle cots for vulnerable babies – a cause close to her mum’s heart. She added: “My mother was a really kind woman. She knitted for premature babies over the years after my brother was born prematurely.
“She also gave to so many charities. People asked If they could give anything for the funeral or if there was a charity they could donate to in her honour.
“It wasn’t until we were going through her house and I was showing my brother the shawls and hats for the premature kids and the angel robes she had been making for stillborn babies that the idea hit me. I knew I wanted to raise money for the cuddle cots.
“A lot of people don’t know about them, and I know it was something close to my mum’s heart. It feels like such a fitting memorial. She was always the first person to help anyone who needed it.”
The fundraiser raised more than £1,200 ahead of Elizabeth’s funeral this weekend. It reads: “A Cuddle cot is a small, portable, lightweight unit that enables families experiencing the loss of their baby at any age or gestation to spend more time with their baby to create precious memories.
“Our Mum was a very loving, generous and selfless caring nurse for many years and had an overwhelming desire to help others. We have decided to create this fundraiser as we have been overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and support from everyone and especially to the wider community who came together when we needed them the most.”
Anyone wishing to donate can do so here.
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