A couple who lost their son after he drowned in the River Clyde is hoping to make Glasgow a safer place following a ‘generous’ donation to their campaign.
Duncan and Margaret Spiers have been campaigning for increased river safety since their son Christopher died after slipping into the water in 2016.
The 28-year-old, from Balornock, was walking to his partner’s home in Kinning Park on January 29, 2016 when he slipped on the banks of the River Clyde and drowned.
Speaking to the Glasgow Times back in 2018, Duncan said Christopher’s death had left him and Margaret in “turmoil”.
Now, after receiving hundreds of pounds for their Christopher’s Saving Lives Campaign, the couple will be purchasing specialised ropes and life belts, which will be donated to areas in Scotland, including Glasgow, in an effort to help save lives.
In memory of Christopher, the couple have managed to get hundreds of ropes added to lifebelts up and down the Clyde - but are continuing to fight for even more exposure.
Duncan said that the ‘surprise’ donation was handed over by Alex and Rena Findlay, two people the pair had never met before.
The 58-year-old said: “When Rena got in touch with my wife, we were so shocked that she wanted to donate to our campaign.
“When she contacted Margaret, she didn’t really explain why she wanted to donate but just said she thought it was a very good cause.
“Rena was doing outdoor Bowles competitions to raise the donation money. She sadly passed away six months ago.
“But, getting to meet Alex to receive the donation was totally amazing, he is such a nice man. We are so humbled.”
Though the couple have been campaigning for eight years to raise awareness about the dangers of water, Duncan said donations like this mean ‘even more’ now than they ever have.
He continued: “These donations mean even more now than they did at the start; they help us make a difference.
“The money helps us get life-saving and big-risk equipment, which is then distributed to wherever in the country that it is needed.
“We’re just so humbled that people are reaching out to us and want to help.”
Going forward, the pair are looking to get specialised roped rolled out across Scotland and the UK as a whole.
They even want to get councils involved in the uptake of ropes too.
Margaret and Duncan will be at The Scottish Parliament on April 25 as they are set to host a drop-in session where MPs can stop by and hear more about the Christopher Live Saving Campaign.
If you want to find out more about the campaign, click HERE
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