The heartbroken father of Kiara Moore, who died when a car she was in rolled into a river, paid tribute to his ‘very special adventurer’ today as her family set up a fund to help others who have lost a child.
Jet Moore released a series of pictures of the two-year-old grinning from a canoe in Scotland, sitting round a campfire with her parents and beaming next to the Eiffel Tower.
He said his little girl, who died eight days before her third birthday, had ‘packed so much into her short life’ and had loved the outdoors.
In an exclusive interview with MailOnline, Mr Moore said he and his partner Kim Rowlands were trying to come to terms with losing their daughter.
‘Kiara is gone and there is nothing we can say or do about that, but we want to keep her memory and amazing adventures alive and a trust in her name is one way of doing that.
The heartbroken father of Kiara Moore (above with her mother Kim Rowlands), who died when a car she was in rolled into a river, paid tribute to his ‘very special adventurer’ today as her family set up a fund to help others who have lost a child
Jet Moore (above with Kiara) released a series of pictures of the two-year-old grinning from a canoe in Scotland, sitting round a campfire and beaming next to the Eiffel Tower
He said his little girl, who died eight days before her third birthday, had ‘packed so much into her short life’ and had loved the outdoors
The toddler died in a ‘freak accident’ when the car she was sitting in rolled down a slipway and into the River Teifi in Cardigan, West Wales last March.
A coroner this week returned a verdict of misadventure with the inquest hearing harrowing testimony from Miss Rowlands who had left her daughter in the car and a police officer who smashed the car window to recover her body.
The family, who live in a remote farm in the village of Llandysul, West Wales, was forced to relive the awful events of March 19 at the inquest.
Mr Moore said: ‘We have just had the inquest and are still coming to terms with that.
‘Being there was very hard. Seeing the police officer who got Kiara out of the car, hearing what was being said. That was very difficult.’
The 41-year-old said they had tried to continue with their normal routine as much as possible in the eight months since Kiara’s death for the sake of their three other children, aged from eight to ten.
Mr Moore said the family is acutely aware she is not coming back and carry one of her favourite mascots called Donald everywhere they go.
‘We have tried to remain as positive as we can from a very bad situation. We just try to carry on as normal, whatever normal is.
‘Our other children are fully aware of what has happened . They are dealing with it in their own way and coming to terms with the huge gap she has left in our lives.’
In an exclusive interview with MailOnline, Mr Moore said starting the fund had given him and his partner Kim Rowlands a positive focus as they came to terms with losing their daughter (above in Great Glen, Scotland)
The toddler (pictured with her mother feeding a lamb) died in a ‘freak accident’ when the car she was sitting in rolled down a slipway and into the River Teifi in Cardigan, West Wales last March
The fund has been named after Kiara (pictured with her father the Eiffel Tower) and the name she used to call herself, ‘Rar Rar’
Mr Moore’s eyes light up as he describes the family’s love of being outside, which reminds them of happy and fun times with Kiara.
‘Kiara loved the outdoors and packed so much into her short life,’ he said proudly.
‘She was one of life’s very special adventurers. She lived life to the full, more than most in their lifetime.
‘She had been sea kayaking in Cyprus, paddling on the Dordogne.
‘When she was just 12 days old we climbed to the top of Mt Snowdon. She has been surfing and skiing in Bulgaria and Chamonix in France.
‘She also paddled the Great Glen from Ft William to Inverness going through Loch Ness, accompanying me on a Duke of Edinburgh award trip.
‘We have to be careful as there are triggers, such as skiing, that bring memories back and it is painful for us.
‘But what we want is to raise awareness of how the outdoors can help people with mental health and bereavement.’
Mr Moore, who has had his daughter’s full name Kiara Aurora Maddison tattooed on his right arm, added that Kiara adored a trip to Paris to visit Euro Disney and loved the Eiffel Tower.
‘That was her favourite. When we came back whenever she saw an electricity pylon she would call out that it was the tower.’
The toddler died in a ‘freak accident’ when the car she was sitting in rolled down a slipway and into the River Teifi in Cardigan, West Wales last March
A coroner this week returned a verdict of misadventure with the inquest hearing harrowing testimony from Kiara’s mum Kim Rowlands who had briefly left Kiara in the car and a police officer who recovered her body
Mr Moore said: ‘When she died we faced three options. One was to just give up completely, the second was to give up for a short time. The third option was to be positive and move forward and do all we can to keep Kiara’s memory alive and keep the family together’
The fund they have set up has been named after Kiara and the name she used to call herself, ‘Rar Rar’.
Mr Moore said: ‘When she died we faced three options. One was to just give up completely, the second was to give up for a short time but all that does is leave you in an even worse place where you lose your family, job and even house.
‘The third option was to be positive and move forward and do all we can to keep Kiara’s memory alive and keep the family together. That is what we have chosen to do.
‘We want to use Rar Rar’s amazing happy spirit help others who might find themselves in our position.
‘The trust will also be used to help families and young people with mental health, with the emphasis of encouraging people to take advantage of the outdoors and explore and take adventures as we have.’
The youngster was in a silver Mini parked on a sloping slipway by the outdoor adventure company they ran in Cardigan.
The family often parked their car on the slipway as it was close to the offices.
The inquest heard that Kiara had been ‘singing and laughing’ when her mum left her inside the car to dash back into the offices of the business to grab some cash to buy fuel after accidentally breaking her bank card when she sat in the car.
The inquest heard that Kiara had been ‘singing and laughing’ when her mum left her inside the car to dash back into the offices of the business to grab some cash to buy fuel after accidentally breaking her bank card when she sat in the car
CCTV footage showed Kiara was in the car for two minutes and one second and captured the horrific moment the Mini slowly rolled down into the River Teifi. Miss Rowlands assumed the car had been stolen and called police, but strong currents had carried the vehicle downstream
She was flown by air ambulance to University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff where a medical team tried to save her, but she was pronounced dead. Mr Moore, 41, said sitting through the inquest and hearing graphic details of his daughter’s death had been ‘very hard’
CCTV footage showed Kiara was in the car for two minutes and one second and captured the horrific moment the Mini slowly rolled down into the River Teifi.
Miss Rowlands assumed the car had been stolen and called police, but strong currents had carried the vehicle downstream and it was submerged underwater.
Kiara’s body was recovered two hours later with PCSO Caryl Griffiths breaking down in tears at the inquest as she described how the youngster’s body floated out of the a window she had smashed to reach her.
She was flown by air ambulance to University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff where a medical team tried to save her, but she was pronounced dead.
Coroner Peter Brunton recorded a verdict of misadventure saying Kiara had ‘no control over what happened’.
Miss Rowlands had said she left the car in reverse gear.
Forensic investigators from Dyfed-Powys Police were unable to say if the car had been left with its hand brake engaged.
The experts refused to rule out the possibility that Kiara could have accidentally knocked the hand brake causing it to release the car.
Mr Moore said they had tried to continue with their normal routine for the sake of their three other children, aged from eight to ten. But he admitted taking part in adventure outdoor activities that Kiara loved was a ‘trigger’ for happy, fun memories to come flooding back
He said the family are acutely aware she will never join them, but carry one of her favourite mascots called Donald everywhere they go
At time of the accident Miss Rowlands posted a message on Facebook where she said she would live with the guilt for the rest of her life.
‘Due to my own stupidity, I will have to live with the guilt of this for the rest of my life.
‘Mummy loves you baby girl and I’m so sorry,’ she wrote.
Talking about the fund, Mr Moore said: ‘When we were at the hospital in Cardiff we were helped enormously by Wish Upon a Star charity who deal with bereavement and sudden death, offering counseling and support right from the start.
‘They really were a great help in the days and weeks afterwards and we want the trust in Kiara’s name to be able to offer support in the way they have to us.
Mr Moore said he hoped the fund would also be able to provide support to people mental health with a focus on using outdoor outdoor activities.
‘It doesn’t have to be climbing up a mountain or extreme, but just spending a night outside in a tent or a nice walk.
‘It would be really great if in the future the NHS could see outdoor activities as one way of helping people with certain issues.’
Since starting the fund, her parents have raised several thousand pounds through a Facebook appeal and a JustGiving page.
Mr Moore (at the inquest with Kim, wearing a hood to his right) said they had been hugely helped by the Wish Upon a Star charity and wanted to help others
Mr Moore said he hoped the fund would also be able to provide support to people mental health with a focus on using outdoor outdoor activities. ‘What we want is to raise awareness of how the outdoors can help people with mental health and bereavement’
Since starting the fund, Kiara’s parents have raised several thousand pounds through a Facebook appeal and a JustGiving page. Pictured: The police officer who tried to save the little girl
Early next year they are planning to hold an event with a climb up Mt Snowdon where Kiara’s ashes are scattered.
‘We are hoping to raise awareness about the Kiara Ra Ra trust fund by walking up Snowdon on April 8th 2019.
‘Kiara was so popular and are hoping many people will attend and in doing so we can keep alive the memory of our daughter while money raised will help others.’
:: To contribute to the fund, please go to the Kiara Rar Rar Facebook page.