A MOTHER was left heartbroken after funeral bosses removed memorials to her son and mother without telling her, she claims.
A MOTHER was left heartbroken after funeral bosses removed memorials to her son and mother without telling her, she claims.
Catherine McDonald of Glasgow lost her son Stuart to Hodgkin's Disease four years ago at the age of 24.
Last week she noticed the marble stone marking where his ashes were scattered had been removed by staff at Cardonald's Craigton Crematorium along with a marker for her mum Elizabeth who died 18 years ago.
Even a medal, won by Stuart's sister Anne for her support of the Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre where Stuart died, had been taken away and is now missing.
Co-operative Funeralcare, which runs the crematorium, claim they wrote to Catherine in August, but she insists she was never notified.
The firm also said there were complaints that the site was "untidy" with "unauthorised items".
A remembrance garden, near the crematorium building, has a number of flower beds with rose bushes and small name plates identifying each memorial.
Most still have personal items, from flowers to windchimes to photo tributes surrounding individual bushes.
But some have been cleared with the items dumped at the back of the crematorium.
Other items such as Catherine's memorial stones were set aside inside the crematorium building.
Now the memorials with photographs of Catherine's loved ones have been rescued and are sitting in her Pollok livingroom as a reminder she has nowhere she and other family members can grieve.
The 52-year-old said: "It's a slap in the face. It was very upsetting to see they were removed. I just want some place where I can put these memorials back.
"They never notified us. They told me people were over-crowding the place and it was looking a mess but said our plot was well looked after.
"We have had something up there for my mum for 18 years. They said we need to ask for authorisation, but why leave it for all these years?"
Notices at Craigton state items must be removed by October 31. Co-operative Funeralcare claimed the deadline for Catherine's section of the grounds was September 30.
The items put at the rear of the building will be disposed of if not collected within a month.
Catherine discovered last Sunday the stones had been removed.
A spokeswoman for Co-operative Funeralcare said: "We wrote to Mrs McDonald at the end of August explaining the situation.
"While we understand that some families have placed discreet sentimental items around their plot, there are some families that have added large, inappropriate and unsafe items."
