A grieving family has been left heartbroken after their six-year-old boy drowned on holiday in a tragic accident.
Little Corey Aughey was excitedly sprinting to "get a free Coke" on a family holiday when he fell into a swimming pool. He died just hours after touching down on the Spanish island of Majorca last summer.
His devastated family believes he wandered off to get a juice while staying at an all-inclusive resort. Speaking to Belfast Live Corey's dad Colin, from the Ballysillan area of the Northern Irish capital, described their boy as "a wee superhero". The family now plans to launch a charitable foundation in his name to support local charities and give children swimming lessons.
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Colin said: "Corey was a great wee child. The best way to describe him would be a bundle of energy. We have a 22-year-old who is at university in Spain, an 18-year-old, a 13-year-old and then our Corey, who had more energy that the other three put together.
"When he passed, that is what everyone remembered him by, just being the life and soul of the party, he never stopped. You'd be at a birthday party and he would be the last one dancing."
Colin had gone for a nap while wife Leanne took the children to the pool at the Globales Bouganvilla when tragedy struck. The family believe he had been running to the drinks machine for a refreshment.
He continued: "We got there on the Thursday morning, checked in and went to the pool. We then had something to eat, and I went up for a doze.
"There was only about an hour left of the pool being open, so Leanne brought the kids round to the back pool. He would have been running over to the wee drink machine - we were all inclusive so he thought it was great he could get free Coke.
"Corey was found in the pool, and was taken out and people were working on him at the poolside. A guy called Matt, from Manchester, done the CPR. They worked on him and they did get a pulse back.
"The ambulance came and took him to the hospital, but we were at opposite sides of the island, so it was a long drive. On the Friday and Saturday, some of my friends came over to us and got the other kids and brought them home."
Corey was put on life support in hospital but doctors said they could not detect any brain activity. A second opinion came to the same awful conclusion, and Corey passed away on Sunday, three days after he had been found in the water.
Colin says the outpouring of love and support shown to his family after Corey's death has been overwhelming. Friends, businesses and strangers have sent well-wishes, offered help and support, and even today, friends are continuing to keep Corey's legacy alive, by running the Belfast City Marathon in his name.
And the family soon hope that there will be a Corey Aughey Foundation, where they will raise money to help children learn how to swim, and to give back to charities such as the Air Ambulance NI and Children's Hospice. The local council is also considering an application to rename a local playpark in his honour.
Colin added: "I used to own a carpet shop on the Shankill, so I would have had this wee army of people in the area. They came up with flowers, and bingo clubs were hosting events for us.
"There was a lot of money raised for us, through a GoFundMe page, while we were still over there. We want to now give back, through a charity.
"Corey loved his superheroes, he was just so innocent. He was always talking about heroes, so through the Corey Aughey Foundation, he will be a hero."
A spokesperson for the Charity Commission in Northern Ireland confirmed an application had been received to establish a charity. The spokesperson added: "It can be confirmed that assessment of the application is at an advanced stage with a decision expected within the next three to four weeks."
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