A Dundee mum who set up the Freya’s Wish charity in honour of her daughter has said she was blown away by support from locals at a gala day on Saturday.
Freya Skene was killed in an accident in Highland Perthshire last year, just before she was due to turn eight.
Mum Brooke Reid and Freya got into difficulties on the River Braan at the Hermitage near Dunkeld in July 2020.
Despite a rescue operation, Freya was pronounced dead after being taken to Ninewells Hospital.
Knowing the importance of her memories with Freya, Brooke was driven to honour her daughter’s memory by setting up an initiative in her name to help other parents do the same.
Freya’s Wish was established to help low-income families in the city to create loving memories and has gone from strength to strength in the last year.
Keen to help more people as she gets ready to register Freya’s Wish as a charity, Brooke and her team of volunteers organised a gala day on Saturday.
Held at Freya’s Wish HQ on Dura Street on what would have been Freya’s ninth birthday, Brooke said she had been blown away by the turnout.
In a message to supporters after the event, she said: “Thank you so much to all our volunteers, everyone who donated, helped us at the last minute, and all our amazing helpers today.
“The weather wasn’t on our side this morning but our Freya brought out the sun this afternoon for us.”
“We were so much busier than we expected,” Brooke said.
Pictures from the day showed children and adults having fun on the water slide, whilst a face painter was kept busy throughout the day.
Speaking about her drive to honour Freya and help the community, Brooke said her daughter’s love for helping people made her “such a beautiful soul”.
She said: “Losing Freya made me realise how important memories are.
“It’s the only thing we have left at the end and I was grateful for all the memories we created together.
“I know circumstances are different for all, for me and Freya to have all the experiences and memories we had, I had to work three jobs.
“That’s not a life and that’s why I started Freya’s Wish in her memory.”
Brooke said that Freya’s HQ would close on Sunday so she could spend time with her family on Freya’s birthday.
Writing on Facebook, Brooke said: “Happy heavenly 9th birthday to our darling butterfly we love and miss you every single day, everything we do is in memory of you.
“We hope we do you proud and thank you for guiding us all daily.
“Families will soon be able to make memories because of you just like the memories we all shared and treasure every single day.”
Donations to Freya’s Wish can be made online here.