Fochabers mum scatters stillborn daughter's ashes after completing charity challenge for Sands
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A MORAY mum says scattering her daughter's ashes after raising vital funds for charity has brought her "peace" four months after her tragic death.
Colette Melaugh (39) gave birth to her daughter Ruby in Aberdeen on March 24 this year.
It should have been one of the happiest days of Colette and her fiancé Brendan Gill's lives.
However, it became clear that something was wrong and it soon emerged that Ruby, tragically, had been stillborn.
"A few months before I had Ruby I had been speaking to a friend who had a close call," Colette said.
"I just never thought it would be my baby. It's awful because you don't think it will happen to you.
"It's an absolutely horrendous feeling."
Colette and Brendan moved to Moray from Yorkshire in 2017 and they now live in Fochabers with their three-year-old son Lewis.
Ruby's death has had an understandably profound effect on the family.
But Colette, keen to do something positive after such a traumatic incident, decided to take on a challenge for charity last month.
That saw her jog, walk, run and dance her way to covering 60 miles over the month of June to raise money and awareness for Sands which helps bereaved families.
She completed the challenge on Friday after walking four and half miles to Bow Fiddle Rock. There, Colette scattered Ruby's ashes to bring an element of closure to the tragic situation.
"It was a lovely moment," Colette said. "It just felt right and it brought us some peace.
"Doing the challenge was just really good for my head space just to get out there on my own so I could think about things.
"We haven't dealt with Sands personally but were given a memory box from them.
"It has Ruby's birth certificate, memorial certificate, a little keyring, little teddy bears, just little things for us to remember Ruby.
"It's a really special thing for us to have."
In total, Colette has raised £1325 for the charity and the challenge as a whole has raised over £200,000 over the month of June.
But Colette is hopeful that telling her story will encourage others to talk about grief after losing a child.
"It happens to so many people but I think a lot of them keep quiet about it really," she added.
"It's almost as if it's a dirty secret but it shouldn't be. People need to be able to talk about it."
More information about Sands can be found here.
