School bench unveiled in memory of accident victim Kieran

Classmates at a Moray primary school have unveiled a playground bench in memory of a seven-year-old boy tragically killed in a road accident.

The bench has been installed at New Elgin Primary School in Elgin where Kieran McQuillan was a P2 pupil.

The bench bears a plaque which reads: Sit, laugh, smile and remember our friend Kieran 2.4.10–7.4.17.

It is identical to a bench in the school playground on which Kieran would often sit before the start of classes.

Kieran died in an accident involving a van while he out was out playing near his home.

The school’s parent council decided to go ahead with a disco only days later and to donate the proceeds to a memorial to Kieran.

The balance of the cost of the bench – with flower planters on either side - was met from school funds.

Kieran’s mother, Mary Johnston, attended yesterday’s ceremony in which all of Kieran’s P2 classmates took part and during which head teacher Ellie Pirie explained to them how the memorial bench came about.

A rowan tree which will flower each year around the time of Kieran’s birthday has also been planted in the playground in his memory.

Moray Council area stretches from Tomintoul in the south to the shores of the Moray Firth, from Keith in the east to Forres in the west. The council and its 4,500 employees respond to the needs of 95,510 residents in this beautiful part of Scotland, which nestles between Aberdeenshire and the Highlands.

Famous for its colony of dolphins, fabulous beaches and more malt whisky distilleries than any where else in Scotland, Moray is a thriving area and a great place to live.

Headquartered in  Elgin, the administrative capital of Moray.