Mikaeel Kular memorial cash goes to outdoor centre

More than £3000 was donated to the Mikaeel Kular Memorial Fund by local residents and people further afield who were touched by the tragedy.

And after considering a raft of fitting ideas as a tribute to the three-year-old, the charity board has now given the cash to an outdoor project for young people from Muirhouse and Drylaw, where Mikaeel lived.

My Adventure, run by Muirhouse Youth Development Group, will put the funds towards its new rural venue in the Borders.

The Towford Centre is set to be upgraded. Picture: Comp

The dilapidated Towford centre, near Jedburgh, is on a long-term free lease from the Scottish Borders Council.

Its overgrown 17-acre grounds will be transformed into a bustling play area and gardens in memory of Mikaeel, whose mother Rosdeep Adekoya is serving a jail sentence for his culpable homicide.

Robert Pearson, chairman of Tenants and Residents in Muirhouse (TRIM), said Mikaeel’s family were “touched” by the community response.

He said: “I was absolutely delighted when the board agreed to offer a local group the memorial money. I know that [the director] Jonny Kinross and the team will ensure that there will be an everlasting memory at Towford.

£3000 was raised for the fund. Picture: Comp

“When I visited Towford I was amazed by the setting and I know it fits just what our community wanted as a memorial. Our community should feel proud of what we all have achieved and now we will have a access to a great outdoor facility.”

The donation will go towards the immediate repairs of the 19th century former school building, including rewiring and the installation of a wood burning stove.

Further upgrades, including window replacements, shower-room improvements and better disabled access will be made to the venue, which has been lying empty for 17 years.

Work on the gardens, which will be named after Mikaeel, will begin next year and a large team of volunteers has already pledged to help.

The Towford facility will aim to help young children explore the outdoors while also providing a base where teenagers can have a break from the city and learn new skills. Pupils from Craigroyston High will be among those who will benefit from the centre.

Mr Kinross said children who were at nursery with little Mikaeel would “almost certainly” visit the centre as they progress through school.

He added: “The money raised by this community for Mikaeel’s Memorial Fund will secure his legacy and will specifically help create a children’s play area in the 17-acre grounds dedicated to him and as a testament to how his community showed strength, solidarity and compassion at a time of their greatest need.”

Adekoya, 34, was jailed for 11 years in August after admitting killing the three-year-old.

She beat her son over three days in January, before hiding his body in a suitcase and reporting him missing.