A MOTHER is today marking 10 years since her son died after an accident on a swing.
Peter Lane was just 13 when he left his home in Roker Avenue, Sunderland, on Saturday, November 23, 2002, to go out to play with his friends.
When mum Julie Reay got a call to say her son had fallen off a rope swing, she drove to the hospital expecting cuts and bruises. But when she got there she was dealt the devastating blow.
A decade on, she told the Echo: “I thought Peter would need a few stitches. Maybe he would even have a broken a bone.
“When I got to the hospital they took me into a side room and told me Peter was critical. I remember falling to the floor in total shock.” Peter died from his head injuries at Newcastle General Hospital hours later,
Julie, who is also mum to daughter Victoria Finney, said the pain of losing her son is still just as raw 10 years later.
“It has gone so quick, but it’s still just as painful as ever,” she said. “I can’t think of what he would be doing now if he was still alive but I know he’s up there looking down on us.”
In the years since her son’s death, Julie has turned to fundraising for comfort and, after launching the Peter David Lane Trust Fund, has raised more than £130,000 for numerous charities.
“This has been an emotional week for me, I’m just trying to keep busy and fundraising definitely helps me to survive,” said Julie.
“I know he would be so proud of us and keeping his memory alive.”
Tonight, the 10th anniversary will be marked with a tribute event at Italian restaurant Amore, in Tavistock Place, Sunderland. There will be live music, food and a raffle to celebrate Peter’s memory, as well as a storyboard which will detail his trust fund’s amazing fundraising activities since it was set up in 2002. Money raised from the raffle will be donated to the Echo’s Christmas Toy Appeal, due to launch next week.
Julie, who is expecting 105 guests, said: “We’re having a gathering of friends and family as a tribute night to Peter and to celebrate his amazing trust fund.
“I’ve been blown away with the success of it and I could have had a massive venue, so many people wanted to be part of it. I know that every day, somebody, somewhere, is talking about Peter and his trust fund.
“He’s touched the lives of so many.”
Twitter: @sunderlandecho
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