‘I hope Archie’s Army stands by me as we fight to change the law’: Archie Battersbee’s grieving mother thanks her supporters at vigil for her son after he died following bitter legal fight
- Hollie Dance went to a vigil in memory of her son Archie Battersbee tonight
- Loved ones gathered at Priory Park in Southend-on-Sea, to celebrate Archie’s life
- The 12-year-old from Essex was remembered with the release of purple balloons
- Family, friends and members of the public were invited to join in prayer and song
The grieving mother of Archie Battersbee has attended vigil for her son where guests released purple balloons to commemorate the 12-year-old boy.
Hundreds of people paid their respects to Archie, who had his life support withdrawn earlier this month after a lengthy court battle.
A crowd gathered at the bandstand in Priory Park, in Archie’s home town of Southend, Essex, on Sunday.
People held purple balloons with ‘forever in our hearts’ written on them.
Cards with the message ‘a mother’s love’, and a photo of Archie and his mother, Hollie Dance, were hung from a pine tree.
Hollie Dance (right) attends a vigil at Priory Park in Southend-on-Sea, in memory of her son Archie Battersbee who died in hospital after weeks of legal battles
Archie’s mother Ms Dance holds a purple, heart-shaped balloon in front of her at a vigil
Family, friends and members of the public were invited to join in prayer and song, with purple ribbons, cards and pictures attached to trees
Archie died after his parents fought for weeks to stop the NHS from turning off his life support
Children played with bubbles as music played from speakers in the background. One person lit a purple flare, holding it in the air as a mark of respect.
Addressing the gathering, Archie’s mother thanked them for their support.
‘Thank you so, so much for supporting us while we were in that awful place,’ Ms Dance said.
‘I hope you all stand by me in trying to change this law, Archie’s army, so that no more of our children and their parents go through this.’
Scores of purple balloons were then released into the air.
Earlier in the evening, Ms Dance spoke to the press.
Asked how the last few months have been, she said: ‘It’s been really hard. It was a fight for my little boy’s life.
‘If I had to go back and do it again I would fight equally as hard.
‘I will continue this fight. I have got no intention of giving up, Archie wouldn’t want me to give up, he would definitely want me to continue.
‘Things have got to change.’
Archie was found unconscious by his mother at his home in Southend, Essex in April after he took part in what his family believe was a social media ‘blackout challenge’. Pictured in hospital before his death
Ms Dance remembers her son Archie at a vigil in Southend-on-Sea on Sunday evening
People release purple balloons during a vigil at Priory Park in Southend-on-Sea, in memory of Archie Battersbee
Ms Dance said that Archie’s religious beliefs should have been taken into consideration.
‘Archie’s beliefs and Archie’s religion, what Archie would have wanted, just wasn’t taken into account — it was just brushed under the carpet,’ she said.
Archie died on August 6 in the Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel, east London, after weeks of legal wrangling.
He had been in a coma since he was found unconscious by his mother at his home in Southend, Essex, on April 7.
He was being kept alive by a combination of medical interventions, including ventilation and drug treatments.
Doctors treating him for the last four months declared Archie to be ‘brain-stem dead’, prompting a lengthy legal battle by his family to continue his life support treatment in the hope he would recover.
Archie’s mother lifts up a purple balloon at a vigil for her son, who died after his life support was removed
Undated family handout file photo of Archie Battersbee with his older brother Tom Summers
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