Family’s woodland tribute to tragic student Graeme Howie

The family and friends of a popular Abertay University student who died last year after falling into a diabetic coma have planted an area of woodland in his memory.

Graeme Howie was found collapsed in his room in Dundee by his flatmates last April.

He spent a week in intensive care at Ninewells Hospital before finally losing his fight for life.

As a tribute to the sadly-missed 23-year-old, Graeme’s parents Dave and Maureen and his sister Caroline were joined by around 50 members of their extended family and friends to plant 1500 native trees at Topps Wood, by Carron Bridge, at the weekend.

The deciduous trees were planted with the help of the Central Scotland Forest Trust and were distributed in a discrete part of the woodland, so that those close to Graeme will be able to return and see the area of forest planted in his memory grow and develop.

Graeme was born in Stirling and his family home was latterly in Dunblane.

He had graduated with an honours degree in business management from Abertay in 2009, but joked that he missed studying in Dundee “too much to leave” and returned to take a masters in human resource management.