Coeden Kate

This year (with the help of Caerphilly Borough Council Landscape Department) we planted Coeden Kate (Kate’s tree) on Caerphilly Mountain at the foot of the hill where near where the accident happened. It is an acer (platanoides drummondii) which should have a variegated green and white leaf if it grows true. The last of Kate’s ashes (plus a few milk bottle gums from the pick and mix!) will help the tree grow.  So it really is Kate’s tree. A lovely wooden chestnut post has the words ”Coeden Kate” routed into it. Hopefully the post will last as long as the tree. We also planted some daffodils at the foot of the tree.

Five years on and it doesn't get much easier – only different. The many kind messages from friends and family do help - knowing that Kate is not forgotten.

Things People Are Doing To Remember Kate

Kate’s Mum raises funds in Cardiff Half Marathon
Sue, Kate’s mum, completed the Cardiff Half Marathon on a perfect day for running the distance in two hours nineteen minutes and still felt good at the end of it. She raised over £2300 in sponsorship for SCARD (Support and Care after road Death and Injury). She thanks everyone who so generously contributed to this. She was inspired to keep going by thinking of Kate running up Snowdon in Ras yr Wyddfa last year.

Swn 2009
Huw Stephens and John Rostron dedicated the Swn Festival 09 to the loving memory of Kate and raised further money for SCARD.

Exeter College, Oxford University All Souls Day
Kate’s name was included in the Requiem Mass sung annually on All Souls Day 2 November, to remember all those former students who have died.

The BBC report on the court case is available at http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/8201512.stm

Kate posing for the NextBigThing website

with the NextBigThing team

can sing too

Kate at the helm sailing from Southampton

A strike at last

Sentence

Howard Owen, the driver of the car that killed Kate, received a suspended custodial sentence on 14 August 2009 at Newport Crown Court of 9 months with 150 hours community service and is banned from driving for 2 years.

Owen accepted full responsibility and had already pleaded guilty. He did not use the sun as a mitigating factor. He said simply that it was a bright day and that the sun was in his eyes. He could not explain why he hadn’t seen Kate.

His legal team presented character references and the Court was told that Owen was sensitive and caring person and a considerate driver.

Given that nothing can bring Kate back, the family felt that Owen's sentence was the right one. The press were given a brief written statement.

Since the sentencing hearing Kate’s family used the services of victim support and the restorative justice scheme to facilitate a meeting with Howard Owen and his family which was felt to be positive and helpful to both parties.

The story is on the BBC Wales news pages http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/8201512.stm

Things People Are Doing To Remember Kate

Music - the Cardiff County and Vale of Glamorgan Youth Orchestra will be dedicating their performance of Bernstein’s West Side Story – Symphonic Dances to Kate’s memory as part of their summer concert. Kate was with the Orchestra the last time they played it, on their 2002 Italian Tour. The concert is on Thursday 16 July at 7.30 in Llandaff Cathedral – all are welcome.

Cycling – there will be a series of cycling races in Gwent named after Kate with a prize for young women cyclists, starting next year.

The new Cardiff based cycling team - Escentual-For-Clarity – has “KA” incorporated into its colourful kit design thanks to Del Delaronde

Fell running - Ras yr Wyddfa, the Snowdon race in which Kate competed last year – will have a trophy, Esgid Kate (it’s a metallised running shoe) -and prize for a young woman runner. (The race is on July 18th this year).

University of Glamorgan – Kate’s fellow chiropractic students are putting up a plaque in her memory on the Treforest campus.

Family and friends have scattered half Kate’s ashes on Garth Mountain, which Kate knew well from horse riding and running, overlooking the Taff. We will be taking the rest up Snowdon.

Lots of plants have been planted in memory of Kate.

Daniel Finch is doing a 110 mile cycle ride (Cardiff to Brecon and back) on 11th July, 2009 in aid of the road safety charity BRAKE. You can donate online here:
http://www.facebook.com/l/;http://www.justgiving.com/danielfinch

Sue – her mum – is running the Cardiff Half Marathon in October and will be running in aid of the charity SCARD – Support and Care After Road Deaths and Injury. They have been very helpful in providing advice. http://www.scard.org.uk/

John Rostron recently raised £200 at a Swn gig and donated it to Brake in Kate's memory - http://www.brake.org.uk/ .

The Family are all collecting warm winter clothes to donate to the homeless at the Crisis Christmas soup kitchen supported by Ryan Pemble in London. (If you have any surplus warm clothes we’ll be happy to pass them on to Ryan).

Huw Stephens and John Rostron will be dedicating this autumn's Swn Festival to the memory of Kate and raising further money for charity.

If anyone has anything they would like to add, please do so.

Tributes to Kate can be read below by looking at the blog posting dated Tuesday, 17th February, 2009 and by clicking on the word "Comments" at the bottom. Further tributes can also be left here.

A Thank You

Kate's family would like to thank the many of you who have sent cards, messages of goodwill, flowers and food and especially those of you who have left so many moving tributes to Kate and her life. These tributes can be read by looking at the blog posting below this one (dated Tuesday, 17th February, 2009) and by clicking on the word "Comments" at the bottom. Further tributes can also be left here.

We hope that Kate's two charities will still be supported by those who wish to make donations in her name. These are Crisis - the national charity for homeless people - http://www.crisis.org.uk/ and Brake - the road safety charity http://www.brake.org.uk/

The above image is from Kate's Funeral on 27th February, 2009 and is courtesy of the South Wales Echo.

Kate Auchterlonie

Kate's funeral was on Friday 27th February, 2009 at the Crematorium on Thornhill, Cardiff. The family ask that donations in Kate's name continue to be sent either to Crisis - the national charity for homeless people - http://www.crisis.org.uk/ or to Brake - the road safety charity http://www.brake.org.uk/

If you would like to leave a tribute to Kate on this site please do so in the form of a comment. By clicking on the comments link - the word "comments" preceeded by a number -below - you will be able to read those already received.

Kate Auchterlonie who died on tuesday 17th February 2009 was the daughter of George Auchterlonie and Sue Wilshere. She is survived by her elder sister, Anna. Kate was educated at Ysgol Glantaf in Cardiff and in 2002 graduated from Exeter College, Oxford with a degree in politics, philosophy and economics. At the time of her death she was taking a foundation course with a view to doing a degree in chiropractic at the University of Glamorgan.

Kate had many interests. She was a talented musician and played the oboe and piano. She was a member of a number of orchestras including South Glamorgan Youth Orchestra and the University Orchestra at Oxford. She made one pop record with the Welsh band Picnic. Her lifelong love was horses. She took three gap years travelling the world grooming polo ponies, her special interest. She rowed, ran, and cycled. Her fitness reached extraordinary levels. As recently at the 14th February, 2009 - her 28th birthday - she cycled 100 miles. She had also taken part in Ras yr Wyddfa, a race up Snowdon.

She died in a road accident on 17th February 2009, at 9.15 am, cycling up Caerphilly Mountain. She will be missed.

A report on the funeral is here

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/2009/02/28/tributes-paid-at-funeral-of-cyclist-kate-auchterlonie-91466-23030055/