As many of you will now know, our beautiful Minnie was tragically taken far too soon on Monday 3rd August.

It is difficult to even find the words to write this. As a close friend of Laurie and her family, I have set up this page on their behalf because right now they are facing something no mother, brothers or family should ever have to face.

Laurie has lost her precious girl, and her boys have lost their beautiful sister. Their whole world has been turned upside down overnight.

Alongside the unimaginable heartbreak of losing Minnie, Laurie and the boys have also lost their home and everything they had. They have been left with nothing and are having to somehow find a way through each day while trying to rebuild some sort of stability for the boys.

Anyone who knows Laurie and her family will know how proud they are. Laurie would never ask for this herself, which is exactly why, as her friends and family, we are doing it for her. She shouldn’t have to ask. She shouldn’t have to worry about clothes, somewhere to stay, travelling or providing the everyday essentials her family needs. She has more than enough to carry right now.

Laurie and the children are originally from Yorkshire but are currently in Scotland. Due to the ongoing investigation, Minnie is not yet able to come home. We don’t know when that will be — it could be weeks or even months.

Until Minnie can come home, the family face regular travel between Yorkshire and Scotland, as well as accommodation and everyday living costs. They also need to replace the basic things that most of us take for granted after losing their home and belongings.

There is also an ongoing case ahead of them, and we simply don’t know how long this journey is going to be.

Those of us who love Laurie can’t take away her pain. We can’t change what has happened and we can’t make any of this right. But we can come together and try to ease some of the practical pressures that no grieving family should have to think about at a time like this.

That’s why I’m asking our friends, family and wider community to come together around Laurie and her boys.

Anything you can do to support them, whether that’s donating, sharing this page or simply keeping the family in your thoughts, will mean more than you could know. Every act of kindness will help them feel a little less alone through everything they are facing.

Any funds remaining after the family’s immediate and ongoing needs have been taken care of will be put towards the children’s future.

For now, we just want Laurie to be able to concentrate on herself and her boys, surrounded by the people who love them, while they wait for the day they can finally bring their beautiful Minnie home and lay her to rest.

This isn’t going to be a short journey for them. They are going to need love and support not just today, but throughout everything that lies ahead.

Minnie was so incredibly loved, and always will be. ❤️

Please donate if you can, share this page and help us wrap our arms around this family when they need us most.

For beautiful Minnie.

For Laurie.

For her boys.

And for everything they now have to face together. ❤️