Memorial plaque fundraiser launched for much-loved mother killed in Bognor Regis

Lauren Brown, 22, said she and her brother Arran, 16, wanted somewhere they could go to feel close to their mother, Ruth Brown.

A man has been charged with murder after Ruth was found dead at her home in Collyer Avenue on Saturday, April 11.

Lauren said: “We still don’t know what happened to my mum, it’s still under investigation.

“Especially after we find out what happened, we want somewhere we can go and talk to her and get a bit of closure.”

Family and friends gathered to pay their respects to Ruth at her funeral at Worthing Crematorium on Friday.

Relatives travelled all the down from Scotland, where Ruth grew up, to attend the ceremony, which featured the song She’s A Belter, by Gerry Cinnamon.

The celebrant also read a poem which Ruth had written in a card for Lauren’s 11th birthday.

Lauren said: “It was nice to have all the family together.

“My mum was very much the centre of our family, she brought everyone together.”

Lauren said the main word used by people to describe her mother was ‘a firecracker’.

“She was very loud, you could hear her before you saw her,” she said. “She made her presence known wherever she went.

“She loved to chat, she could talk on the phone for hours on end.”

The 52-year-old had formerly worked in hospitality before suffering a workplace injury.

She volunteered with MIND and other mental health charities.

Lauren said her mother would go ‘above and beyond for absolutely everyone and anyone’.

“She would go that extra mile, she would give you her last penny,” she said.

The siblings have already raised more than a thousand pounds towards the memorial plaque, which they hope to place in a remembrance garden somewhere close to Bognor.

Lauren thanked everyone who had donated to the fundraiser so far, adding: “The memorial plaque will mean so much to not just me and my brother but everyone who loved her, friends and family.”

She said she and her brother were ‘so grateful’ for the generosity and support they had received.

“Mum’s friends have been amazing,” she said. “My mum was always there for them. They are constantly at our side, like she was for them.

“It just shows how much she was loved, and what an impact she had on so many people’s lives.”

A man was charged with Ruth’s murder two days after her body was found.

Wayne Morris, 47, a refuse worker of Larch Close, Bognor Regis, appeared at Lewes Crown Court for a pre-trial preparatory hearing on July 17, where he pleaded not guilty, the Crown Prosecution Service confirmed.

He is due to appear in court for a mention hearing next month.

For now, Lauren and her brother are still waiting for answers about their mother’s death.

“I just don’t think either of us can grieve properly until we know what’s happened,” Lauren said.

Donate to the fundraiser here.