Couple in own skeleton donation to dungeon

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Couple want skeletons to live on

A couple have pledged their skeletons to an Edinburgh dungeon visitor attraction because they do not want to inflict their funerals on their family.

Andrew and Janine Leishman have donated their bodies to Edinburgh University's medical College for dissection before Edinburgh Dungeon puts them on display.

The pair both work as nurses at Bo'ness Hospital near Falkirk.

The Leishmans said they also wanted to highlight the shortage of bodies donated to medical science.

Their move follows the dungeon launching a search to recruit skeletons to tie in with its new show about the exploits of Edinburgh's 19th-century serial killers Burke and Hare, who profited by selling the bodies of their victims to anatomist Dr Robert Knox.

Anyone who wants to donate their body for medical research has to put it in writing, have it witnessed and lodge the paperwork with their will.

We've been to so many funerals and we find them to be soul-destroying affairs which we don't want to inflict on our families Andrew Leishman Donor

Mr and Mrs Leishman made their pledge inside the new show and had it witnessed by Kieran Wood and Derek Elsby, who play Burke and Hare.

Mrs Leishman, 45, said: "We've been to so many funerals and we find them to be soul-destroying affairs which we don't want to inflict on our families.

"We're also big fans of the dungeon and the idea of joining their exhibits after death quite appeals to us.

"Being nurses we are both very much aware of the problem and we also wanted to do this to highlight the desperate shortage of organ donors."

'Scaring people'

Mr Leishman said their 18-year-old son and 16-year-old daughter think their parents are "weird" but have accepted the plan.

Iain Scouller, manager of the dungeon, said: "We have fake skeletons already but there's nothing quite like the real thing, and there are probably several people out there who would relish the prospect of hanging around and scaring people for years after they've died.

"The only condition of our offer is that donors must also register to donate any viable organs as well as leave their body for research."

Three members of the Dungeon's own staff have also pledged to leave their skeletons for use as props and the dungeon is happy to accept another five or six before bringing its search to a close.