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Edinburgh Live
Edinburgh Live
National
Tim McNulty

Kirsty Maxwell - Family set up support charity in honour of balcony death Scot

The family of Kirsty Maxwell, who fell to her death in Benidorm during a hen do in 2017, have launched a charity in her honour.

The Kirsty Maxwell Charity will offer advice as well as emotional and financial support to families whose loved ones have died abroad.

The 27-year-old, from Livingston in West Lothian, fell from a tenth floor balcony of an apartment which was occupied by five men from Nottingham.

Kirsty's parents, Brian and Denise Curry, have said they did not want other families to have to go through the experience they endured following their daughter's tragic death.

The couple have previously described how there was no one to meet them when they landed in Spain in the wee hours of the morning and they had to sort accommodation themselves.

Killed abroad - Kirsty Maxwell documentary trailer

Brian said they felt abandoned and helpless, with very little information from the authorities about what had happened.

He added these feeling turned to anger and frustration when he witnessed other families who were not getting the support they should, especially in the vital first 48 hours.

Families "numb" with grief needed help to deal with police, translate reports and get a legal adviser, explained Brian.

"That first 48 hours, if you can get that help, it can go a long way," he said.

"We didn't really have that help. We really missed out."

Their hope is to now build on their own experience and guide other families find their feet in a foreign country, in a different language and in an unknown judicial system.

Brian said: "We are not filling the void but we are trying to help."

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