Son's eBay effort to give his mother a big send off

Son's eBay effort to give his mother a big send off

MARGARET Beaton loved to travel, but never made it to some of the countries she really wanted to visit.

But now, two years after her death, her son is trying to fulfil her wish of making it around the world - via eBay.

Glen Beaton used the internet auction site to try and send out small amounts of his mother's ashes to be scattered in different parts of the globe, particularly the United States, Australia and New Zealand.

Mr Beaton, 45, a part-time pet shop worker in Inverness, will not profit from the venture. He has to list the items for at least 1p to meet auction rules, but will pay all postage and packing to those who agree to help him.

He said: "I put a label on the sachets with my mother's name and the years of her birth and death. I'm not charging for the ashes. If anyone puts in bids to raise them above the 1p starting price, I will remove the listing and re-list it.

"I'm fulfilling a wish; it's just that I'm using new technology to do it."

Last night, eBay withdrew the listing, saying it contravened its policy, but not before some of ashes had been sent off to the US, Canada and Australia.

Following her death, most of Mrs Beaton's ashes were scattered in Inverness, but the remainder were kept in an urn.

Mrs Beaton, a widow, died in March 2004, aged 72.