Grieving woman spending £3,500 travelling to scatter beloved hamster’s ashes in Hawaii

Lisa Murray-Lang is planning to take the ashes of her hamster to Hawaii after creating the holiday destination as a cardboard cutout for her hamster to sit in during lockdown

A grieving woman is planning to spend £3,500 travelling 7,000 miles to Hawaii to spread the ashes of her beloved Spud – her pet hamster.

Lisa Murray-Lang, 46, was devastated by the death of the three-year-old small rodent in March this year.

During the 2020 lockdown, she created cardboard versions of famous locations – such as London, Paris, and Coronation Street for Spud to visit.

To mark his passing, she bought a ticket to Honolulu, Hawaii in October to spread his ashes on a “real holiday”.

Professional dog walker Lisa said: “We’re going to take him down to the beach, play Beyonce ’s song I Was Here while we scatter his ashes and leave a message in the sand saying ‘Spud visited’.

“It’s the perfect send-off for him – he’ll finally get to come along on a real holiday for once.

“He might have only stayed at home during his life but he managed to visit lots of places.

“The Hawaii set was always Spud’s favourite – he loved the sand, especially given at the time it was winter and we were all surrounded by snow at the time.”

Lisa started making sets for her pet as a lockdown hobby when the pandemic started six months after Spud joined the family.

She handcrafted every element using cardboard and dolls, with some sets even featuring hamster-themed artwork.

Other particularly impressive sets included the famous magical castle of Hogwarts – or “Hamwarts” – from the Harry Potter films, along with 10 Downing Street.

Lisa said one of the reasons she chose Hawaii to pay her final respects to Spud was because of how much he enjoyed visiting the model version.

She expected the cost of the trip to top £3,500, as it is a “final journey” – with other stops on the way to Kahanamoku Beach, Waikiki.

Another includes a stopover in the Dutch capital – nicknamed Hamsterdam – for the duration of her visit.

Lisa added: “The average age a hamster will live to is about two and a half years – so it’s amazing really that he kept going for so long.

“He really gave us a reason to get out of bed in the morning, particularly during the lockdown when work stopped.

“He was a real part of the family.”

It comes as a psychic shared what she believed happens to pets when they die – including who greets them in heaven.

Nancy Mello, 40, learned about the afterlife from speaking to pets who have died.

Nancy told the Mirror : “When dogs pass away they have total peace – similar to what people have said they experience during a near-death experience.”