I sent my husband's ashes into space after he was killed in an avoidable smart motorway crash - he always loved astronomy, it was breathtaking

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A woman has revealed how she decided to release her husband's ashes into space because of his love of astronomy.  

Claire Mercer from Rotherham, was widowed in 2019 after her husband Jason was killed in a crash aged 44 on a smart motorway near Sheffield.

The widow, 44, who has since become a campaigner to scrap smart motorways in the UK, arranged for Jason's ashes to be scattered 100,000 ft above the Earth.

The service is offered by Aura Flights, which has partnered with Nottingham-based funeral directors A.W. Lymn.

Speaking to BBC News, Claire fought back tears as she said: 'The picture of Jason on the outside of the canister and the massive panoramic view that you get. It was literally breathtaking.' 

Claire Mercer, from Rotherham, decided to release her husband's ashes into space- because of his love of astronomy

Jason's ashes were loaded into a capsule attached to a stratospheric balloon. They can then circumnavigate the globe several times before falling in rain droplets and snowflakes.

Claire added: 'My husband was killed in 2019, very suddenly in a car collision, then we were left with the ashes and I didn't know what to do with them.

'Jason was really into astronomy. He'd got a great big telescope [...] and it just really seemed to hit home. It just made me so happy that I had done it.'

Matthew Lymn Rose from A.W. Lymn. added: 'The stratospheric winds takes the ashes and for a matter of months they will be spread all over the globe and then they will be spread back down to earth with wind, rain or snow.'

Jason, 44, died on the M1 when he was struck by a lorry on a section of the road without a hard shoulder.

Passenger Alexandru Murgeanu, 22, died in the same incident and, prior to that, at least two more people have been killed on the same road since 2018.

In 2021, Claire called for police to investigate Highways England after a coroner said her husband could have survived the crash on the M1 if there was a hard shoulder.

The widow, who has since become a campaigner to scrap smart motorways in the UK, arranged for Jason's ashes to be scattered 100,000 ft above the Earth

Jason's ashes were loaded into a capsule attached to a stratospheric balloon then they are released and can circumnavigate the globe several times before falling in rain droplets and snowflakes

Pictured: Claire Mercer, 44, from Rotherham, fights back tears as she talks about the 'breathtaking' way her husband's ashes are being scattered

In 2021, Claire (left) called for police to investigate Highways England after a coroner said her husband (right) could have survived the crash on the M1 if there was a hard shoulder

She said she hoped the inquest would be a catalyst for an investigation into possible corporate manslaughter charges.

Claire said at the time: 'After more than a year and a half of campaigning, I today feel that somebody has listened and finally taken steps to address the use of these death trap roads.

'Ever since Jason died, I have been determined to bring about change to ensure more families don't go through the heartbreak of losing a loved one by the completely nonsensical removal of hard shoulders on busy motorways, without adequate safeguards being in place.' 

In April 2023, the Government announced that all new smart motorways would be scrapped due to a lack of confidence from drivers and financial pressures.

Claire said she hoped the inquest would be a catalyst for an investigation into possible corporate manslaughter charges (pictured 2022) 

Jason, 44, (pictured) died on the M1 when he was struck by a lorry on a section of the road without a hard shoulder

Ministers had already paused the construction of new smart motorways, which convert the hard shoulder into another active traffic lane and use variable speed limits, in January 2022.

It pledged not to continue with the rollout until it had five years' worth of safety data from existing schemes. 

Claire previously accused the Government of 'stalling' after failing to respond to a smart motorway dossier her lawyers sent ministers containing 'compelling evidence regarding safety concerns', and drew parallels between the Post Office and Horizon scandal and National Highways' and the Government's handling of smart motorways.

'It is telling that the government is the sole stakeholder in both the Post Office and National Highways,' she told the Telegraph.