A Dundee woman has set up a fundraiser for her 16-year-old neighbour whose mother died suddenly.
Vicki Williamson, 41, set up the crowdfunder after her neighbour, Lorna Armstrong, died due to a blood clot in her lung.
Lorna, 50, had a 16-year-old daughter called Chloe.
Vicki decided to launch the crowdfunder to help Chloe and more than £3,000 has already been raised.
The money will cover the cost of Lorna’s funeral, with anything left over going to help Chloe, who is not in contact with any other relatives.
‘Best pals’
Vicki said Lorna and Chloe were very close and she wants to do everything she can to support the teen.
“They were more like best pals than mum and daughter, they were together 24/7 and that’s what’s really hard for Chloe,” Vicki said.
Lorna, who was born in Glasgow and grew up in Strathblane, also had connections to Fife, as she lived in Anstruther and Pittenweem for parts of her life before moving to Dundee five years ago.
Vicki said: “We’ve known each other since she moved because she was directly opposite me.
“She was the most sarcastic person you would ever meet in your life. She always had a joke and always had something to say.
“She was a very bubbly person.
“She loved shopping, that was her favourite thing to do. Even a trip to B&M or Home Bargains, she would be in there for hours.
“She loved her pets, she had some cats and she had a dog who she lost three years ago. That was devastating for her but I got a dog and Lorna sort of doted on him after that.”
‘She’ll always have us’
Vicki said that Lorna’s last words to her before she died were: “Please promise me you’ll look after Chloe.”
“So that’s what we’re going to do,” said Vicki.
“It’s really hard. I think she would be relieved to know where Chloe is and that she’s well looked after and she’ll always have us.”
Lorna died earlier this month, of a pulmonary embolism which is when a blood vessel in a lung is blocked by a blood clot.
Vicki said: “It was a shock.
“She had diabetes and a few health issues but when it first happened we all thought it was a heart attack but we were really shocked that it was that.”
Restored faith in humanity
Vicki described how good it feels to see so many people donate to help Chloe.
She said: “The money is brilliant and everything but even just the people that have been in touch with Chloe has just been great.”
She added: “It restores your faith in humanity because everybody just plods along in their lives and doesn’t really pay attention to anybody else and then when something happens like this you just see everybody coming together; it’s just amazing.”
Vicki said that any additional money will go towards Chloe’s future.
She said: “Chloe is very driven.
“Even speaking now, we’ve been speaking about the future and what she can achieve so she’s very motivated.
“It would obviously be a bit of a nest egg for Chloe.
“She wants to start her driving lessons soon so if there was any money left over it would be going to that sort of thing.”
Another neighbour, Erin Murdoch, who also helped with the crowdfunder, confirmed how important the money would be for Chloe.
She said: “Chloe has been through an immense ordeal and it continues as we try to support her.
“Chloe was incredibly close to her mother, Lorna, and is still staying strong.
“However, we would appreciate all the help we can get, emotionally and financially.
“Money will not fix this but it will certainly reduce the stress that Chloe is undergoing.”