By Victoria Weldon

On Sunday, Dennis Liddell and his family scattered his mother’s ashes at the top of Ballageich Hill.

His father’s ashes were scattered at the Eaglesham beauty spot 26 years previously, and – in happier times – his parents got engaged there.

Mr Liddell and his family climb the hill every year on the anniversary of their father’s death, and will now do the same for their mother following her death from Covid-19.

Enid Liddell died, aged 84, in the early hours of the morning on March 31 after testing positive for the virus. She left behind two sons, Dennis and Colin, and a daughter, Susan Burr, as well as five grandchildren and a great-granddaughter.

She had been ill, but according to Mr Liddell “still had a bit of living to do”.

Ballageich now offers the family a place to go to remember her and mourn her loss and that is why the 60-year-old, from Glasgow, is backing The Herald’s campaign for a garden of remembrance for all coronavirus victims.

He believes the garden will offer a place of peace and comfort for those who have lost loved ones, just as Ballageich does for his family.

He said: “There’s a place we go, Ballageich Hill, which is where my dad proposed to my mum. When he died, we scattered his ashes there, and we did the same with my mum’s, just on Sunday.

“Both my parents were cremated, there’s no grave to visit, so it’s nice to have somewhere to visit and think of them. It’s somewhere we go to pay our respects.

“When I read about The Herald’s plans for a memorial garden for all those who have sadly passed away, I thought it was a lovely idea. It would be nice for people to have a place to visit and somewhere that I would certainly visit.”

Mrs Liddell grew up in Paisley, but moved to Glasgow after marrying her husband John at the age of 19.

A stay-at-home mum, she was devoted to her family and nursed her husband when he was diagnosed with terminal cancer in 1994.

She was still living at home in her Glasgow flat when she took unwell just a few days after Mother’s Day.

She was taken to the city’s Queen Elizabeth University Hospital with suspected pneumonia and it was there that she tested positive for Covid-19.

As her son Colin had been with her when she was taken to hospital, he was unable to visit her. Her daughter’s husband also contracted the virus so she also had to isolate.

However, Dennis Liddell was able to visit his mother and arrange video calls with his siblings and their families.

He said: “When I went to visit her, I had to wear a mask and a gown, but I was so glad I was able to see her and that I managed to get my brother and sister on facetime so she could see them and their families.

“The hospital told me they weren’t going to put her on ventilation, just oxygen, which was fine, my mum had a living will, she didn’t want to be kept alive by a machine.

“On the Monday (March 30) I went to see her again, but I had to leave to get some sleep and I got a phone call at around 3.30am the next morning saying she had passed away.

“The hospital staff were fantastic, it was very dignified.”

Mrs Liddell’s funeral took place on April 17 with just 12 people in attendance. Colin and Susan were out of isolation by then so all of her children were able to attend.

Mr Liddell added: “She was 84, she had a good life, but she would still be here if it wasn’t for coronavirus.

“She was our mum, and she’ll be sadly missed.”

Yesterday we reported how our campaign was being backed by Dr Jim Swire whose daughter Flora died in the Lockerbie air disaster in 1988.

He said: "I would, personally, warmly support the creation of a memorial cairn for the relatives of the virus victims in Scotland now.”

The aim of The Herald's Garden of Remembrance campaign is to create a memorial cairn with the name of every Scot who has died from coronavirus.

In just over a week The Herald has been offered a site at Glasgow’s Pollok Country Park by city council chiefs, Council Leader Susan Aitken and Lord Provost Phil Braat.

We have also received a pledge of £5,000 from the workforce of Hillington-based HCS Mechanical and Electrical. They were inspired to help following the death of Glasgow trucker Jim Russell, 51, whose close friend Mark Lammey is a director at the firm.

Earlier this week Scots silversmith and jeweller Caitlin Hegney offered to donate the proceeds of her new rainbow-colour inspired collection to the help the campaign.

Support has als been offered by the Scottish Ahlul Bayt Society, a charity representing the Scottish Shia Muslim community's efforts towards peace-building, interfaith dialogue and humanitarian work in Scotland.

It's chairman Shabir Beg said: "As a Glaswegian born and raised myself, I find the memorial and tribute to all victims of the pandemic to be made in Glasgow such a fitting and heartfelt gesture from the Scottish people.

"I am delighted to hear that a site at Pollock Country Park will be made available for the memorial.

"Please accept our offer of support and fellowship in this work."

Can you help support our campaign? Send us an email to memorialgarden@theherald.co.uk