Murder victim Moira Jones’ mother has paid tribute to her “beautiful and brilliant” daughter at the tenth birthday charity run held in her name.

Bea Jones, her husband Hu and their son Grant started Moira’s Run after Miss Jones, 40, was beaten to death after being kidnapped just yards from her Glasgow home in May 2008.

The sales manager’s killer, Marek Harcar, was later sentenced to life in prison.

Since its launch, the Moira Fund has helped almost 5,000 people in the UK bereaved by violence.

“She was my best friend, she was my beautiful daughter,” Bea Jones said.

“She was very, very sociable. She was bright, caring and kind. No matter what she did, she did it to the best of her ability. She loved Glasgow and she loved the people of Glasgow, their warmth and their humour.

Around 500 runners took part in the 5km run through Queen’s Park on Sunday to raise money for the Moira Fund.

Grants from the charity can cover everything from funeral costs to clothing for attending court.

This year, some families who benefited from the association’s support also participated.

“We’ve been doing this race since 2019 now,” Angela said. “My son Gary was murdered in 2018, so we like to try and support him… it’s quite comforting to run and know that there are a lot of people in the same situation as us.

“Even though it’s difficult, we know it’s important to participate.”

Moira Jones’ family also successfully campaigned for the launch of a Scottish homicide service, which provides families of murder victims with a dedicated social worker.

“We have a specialist team that the Moira Fund has campaigned for to support families bereaved by murder and culpable homicide in Scotland,” said Kate Wallace, chief executive of Victim Support Scotland.

“One murder in this context is too many, but we are trying to ensure that people receive support and information in a situation that they are completely unprepared for and which is devastating to them. »

For more information about the work of the Moira Fund or to request support, you can visit the Moira Fund website.

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