Wigan schoolboy leaves everyone in stitches by riding his gran's scooter to her funeral


McKenzie Fisher, a 12-year-old from Poolstock, left smiles on the faces of everyone who attended the funeral of his gran Rita Scargill, who rode the scooter so often that she adopted the nickname Madge, after the character from hit TV show Benidorm.
And it just so happened that the Spanish resort was also Rita's favourite holiday destination, which she visited at least four to five times a year.
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Hide AdSo when the time came for everyone to say their final goodbyes to 72-year-old at her funeral, McKenzie jumped at the chance to honour her by riding the scooter, complete with cans of her favourite tipple of cider and a mobile phone playing her favourite song "Oh Carol" by Neil Sedaka.


Rita's carriage also had flowers spelling out "Madge," in another nod to her nickname.
McKenzie's mum Kirstie, who was Rita's daughter-in-law, told Wigan Today: "He (McKenzie) went to Benidorm with her last year. My partner said to me 'we have to put him on her scooter. Nobody knew about it, and no one knew about the flowers either.
"We just thought it'd be a laugh. Everyone was in stitches."
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Hide AdShe added: "Everyone knew her as 'mad Madge from Wigan'. She used to ride round on that scooter everywhere. And she loved Magners, that's why he had cans in the basket. She'd always ride around to ours with cans in the basket and pull up in the scooter.


"It was so funny, everyone kept turning around and laughing their heads off. McKenzie loved it. It was a celebration of her life, she would've loved it."
McKenzie, a Hawkley Hall High School pupil, said: “At first, I was like ‘no, I’m not doing that. But I thought I’d just do it for my nan. Everyone always called her ‘mad Madge’. Everyone knew her for driving it.”
He added: “It felt good to do, because I know my nan would be happy with it. She’d be laughing her head off about it.”