Woman finds bag of human ashes on UK beach

A swimmer has found a bag of human ashes washed up on a beach in the Scottish Highlands.

Morag Paterson was going to take a dip at East Beach in Nairn when she came across the bag on the sand.

It had a tag with Central Michigan Crematory Battle Creek MI printed on it and an identification number.

She decided to take the bag home and called the facility in the US.

They in turn checked their records and discovered the ashes were that of Alfred Hopwood, who is believed to have originally been born in Nairn.

Ms Paterson said that when he died at 96, a relative brought the ashes to Scotland to be scattered. But it's thought the bag was accidentally dropped into the Moray Firth.

According to the Press and Journal, Alfred emigrated to Canada with his parents and sister at the age of eight, and later moved to the US.

He served as a US Marine during World War II, and visited Nairn when he was 84 to see his homeland before he died.

Morag has been in close contact with his family, and is discussing the possibility of meeting up with relatives to hold a small ceremony where some of the ashes could be properly scattered or laid to rest near Nairn.

According to the Mirror, she said: "I have learned that he loved swans and the water and lived on the riverside right where the swans gather, so it is rather lovely that he has returned here and could now be laid to rest once more in the river flowing to the sea, by the swans.

"The story is rather amazing."

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