The family of a 16-year-old girl found dead in Nottinghamshire are fundraising to pay for the ‘added touches’ of her funeral to ‘make it extra special’.
Police found Maisie Cousin-Stirk’s body in Misterton, Bassetlaw, on Tuesday (June 20) after she was reported missing from the area on Monday (June 19).
Police are not treating the death as suspicious.
Laura Williams, Maisie’s cousin, set up the Just Giving page to raise £1,000 to go towards Maisie’s funeral or pay for a memorial garden.
The target has already been reached, with £3,559 raised so far.
Laura told Notts TV the family are paying for the funeral themselves – but the money raised will “add those touches to make it extra special”.
“All the main bits [of the funeral] are family funded, just with special touches on behalf of the community to show how much she was loved not only by us,” Laura said.
“After the memorial garden has been created, any further donations will be helping to raise awareness and support others.”
Laura says the family are also planning to set up a charity in Maisie’s memory.
Laura wrote on the fundraising page: “Even in such a short amount of time, we as a family have received so much support.
“Many people are asking what they can do to help, and we have had some offers of donations from people wanting to make a contribution.
“I have therefore set up this page, so that anyone who would like to make a donation, can do so in one safe place.
“As this is still so fresh and emotions are so high at this time, plans of exactly how we will proceed with things have not yet been made, and we have no idea how much everything is going to cost.
“But any money kindly donated will likely be used to help fund the send off Maisie deserves, or to create a memorial garden for Maisie, so her family and friends always have somewhere special and peaceful to go and reconnect with her.”
