'We will be there to offer those in distress that tiny bit of help' - Tragic Kirsty Maxwell's family officially launch charity in her name

The aim of the Kirsty Maxwell Charity is to offer emotional and financial support. Kirsty (right) with husband Adam.

Family and friends of tragic Kirsty Maxwell have launched a charity which aims to help families cope with losing loved ones abroad.

The aim of the Kirsty Maxwell Charity is to offer emotional and financial support as well as advice to those who find themselves in similar circumstances as those experienced by her family.

The 27-year-old, from Livingston, died while celebrating a hen party with friends in Benidorm on April 29, 2017.

Brian and Denise Curry, Kirsty’s parents, criticised the lack of support that was on offer upon their arrival in Spain from both the UK and Spanish authorities.

In the vital 48 hours that followed on from the death of their loved one - the Maxwell’s and Curry’s claim they were left to deal with the trauma and shock without adequate support from the British government.

After travelling to Spain, the family and friends of Kirsty were not greeted at the airport or offered assistance in getting somewhere to stay; nor were they offered sufficient support to deal with Spanish authorities who they say treated them and Kirsty with "disrespect and contempt".

Speaking at the launch of the charity on Tuesday (February 18) evening, Mr Curry said: “We wanted to do more, to do something to help people like us, who within the first hours of tragedy need somewhere to turn, someone to approach, someone to throw a lifeline to you when you are left floundering in the sea of suffering and distress.

“We hope this will never happen again but sadly it will.

"We will be there to offer those in distress that tiny bit of help if we can.”

Kirsty fell to her death after entering an apartment which was occupied by five British men. The men were arrested by Spanish authorities but were never charged.

At the launch of the charity the family said that they hoped to honour Kirsty by helping other families navigate the often challenging justice system that they face when losing a loved one abroad.

Through fundraising efforts they also hope to sign-post families to what they need to do; to put them in touch with the relevant expertise, to advise regarding social media campaigns as well as fund raising and to share their experiences by providing empathetic sincere advice.

Hannah Burdell, MP for Livingston, said: “When speaking with the Foreign Office I could not understand how the system could be so terrible and how it could be failing people in this way.

“The scope and scale of the failures in the system is truly unbelievable and we have a big task ahead of us. Families need better support and a better system so that the huge trauma is made just that little bit better. As long as I am a parliamentarian I will do everything to support the cross party group working towards reforms so that no other family has to go through the pain and trauma that the Curry’s and Maxwell’s have had to go through.”

To support the charity or to learn more about their aims - visit: www.kirstymaxwellcharity.co.uk