THE grieving mother of tragic Lennon Toland has told how she dressed a teddy in the five-year-olds pyjamas to feel closer to him.

Speaking out as the family prepare to mark the first anniversary of his death, Leanne Toland said she hasn’t washed the clothes he was wearing on the day he died.

“I can still remember sitting on the couch and zipping his jacket up, walking him to the door, kissing him and telling him to have a good day at school,” she says.

“I told him how much I loved him. I never thought that would be the last time I would see him.

“I’ve not washed the pyjamas he had on that morning. I put them on his Tigger so I when I’m cuddling it, I feel like I’m cuddling him.

“I still say goodnight to him as if he’s still there, so he can hear me and I still do our Spiderman kiss.”

Lennon, who had just started at St Paul’s primary school in Shettleston, was killed after being struck by a van on September 12, last year.

Twelve months on from the tragedy, 27-year-old Leanne continues to be haunted by thoughts about her son’s final moments.

“The one thing that keeps tormenting me is, did he hear the van?

“I don’t want him to have heard it and been scared. That’s one of the things that no one can answer for me.

“I keep hoping that he didn’t hear it – to think that he did hear it would kill me.

“I hope he never heard it and maybe he went to look and it’s just happened.”

Tragedy struck as Lennon walked home from school with his dad, Andrew Murray.

The youngster had bent down to pick up stones on Dalness Street when a driver from nearby Welding Engineers mounted the pavement to gain access to a makeshift car park and struck him.

Andrew pulled his son from beneath the van but his injuries were so severe that his life couldn’t be saved.

Leanne says the family often go back to the place where it happened to remember their beloved boy.

“It’s good to still go up to the gates because I know he was happy doing what he was doing.

“You feel daft because you’re standing at the gate and there’s not a wee bench or anything.

“I know he would been happy because he was always happy and he loved his stones.”

In the months before his death, excitable Lennon had been looking forward to welcoming his baby sister.

Leanne was six-months pregnant when her firstborn was killed.

Before he passed away, Lennon had picked out the baby’s name and, after giving birth on January 1, Leanne decided to respect his wishes.

Crystal, now nine-months old, has been a welcome distraction to the family.

“Lennon picked the name Crystal but I liked Lucy – he kept arguing with me about it.

“People say ‘you’ve got Crystal and she’ll bring you a lot of joy’, but she’ll never replace him.

“I’m still waking up every day without him.

“I think Crystal knows all about her brother. She’ll just stare at the pictures of him and my mum all the time.”

Lennon’s grandad Brian Toland and uncle Declan Toland have been campaigning to have a swing park built on the land where the youngster was killed.

Lennon’s gran, Karen Pearson, who passed away from cancer five months after the tragedy, created a petition urging the council to make the change.

Speaking at the time, she said the family wanted the land to be turned into something positive for the children who witnessed the accident.

Declan has since re-launched the petition which has attracted more than 7,000 signatures but has yet to receive the council’s go ahead.

He said: “It has thousands signatures, surely that should be enough for something be done?

“People want a change and nothing has been noticed.

“You would think it never happened if we didn’t keep go on about it.

“The kids don’t even walk on that side of the road anymore because they’re too scared of getting knocked down.”

As well as campaigning for the park, the family have created charity project, Lennon Toland’s Legacy.

Every month, the group take on physical challenges to raise money for the Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity.

So far they have completed eight challenges including climbing Ben Nevis, a 24-hour cycle and Glasgow Men’s 10k.

Lennon’s caring nature was the driving force behind starting up the charity.

“He was always asking after other wee boys and girls if they were ill.

“He really cared about people and making sure they were alright”, grandad Brian explains.

“He was a great wee boy. We used to say he was like Fred Astaire because his leg was always going – he loved dancing.

“He was our first grandchild so we really spoiled him. Karen would always buy him the full Celtic kit whenever it came out.

“We’ve suffered so much loss, it’s just so hard.

“Lennon’s death is the hardest because he was so young and perfectly healthy – he shouldn’t have been killed. It’s hard. Every day is hard. It doesn’t get any easier.

“You’re like a ship stuck in the rocks, with the tide coming in and out and bits breaking off.”

The bereaved family are preparing to mark the first anniversary of Lennon’s death tomorrow with a special memorial at the place he died.

For Leanne, the loss of her child will never get any easier.

“I keep thinking to myself that these would be the last days I spent with him.

“This day last year was the day he got his last ever school picture taken with his wee chubby cheeks, glasses on and standing puffing his chest out, dead proud.

“I don’t know how I cope. I just have to get on with it as best I can and stay as strong as I can for Crystal.”