Supporters of Max the Miracle Dog help raise £45,000 for charity which saved brave girl’s life

THE family of a brave nine-year-old girl have been overwhelmed by the generosity of supporters of a charity walk in memory of Max the Miracle Dog after £45,000 was raised for the air ambulance crew which saved their daughter’s life.

In September 2015, two-year-old Ava Pearson, of Southwaite, north of Penrith, was given just hours to live after she sustained life threatening injuries when the car she was travelling in collided with a tanker on the A66 near Cockermouth.

The swift response from the Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS) in transporting Ava to the Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI) in Newcastle ultimately saved her life, and the grateful schoolgirl and her family have been raising money for the organisation ever since.

Ava and her mother Amy Shaw have been supported in their fundraising efforts by many, including Amy’s employer Cartmell Shepherd Solicitors which also made a donation. A huge support group was out in force at the weekend to help boost the total.

On hearing of the great fundraising efforts, Kerry Irving invited Ava and her family to join in with a dog walk held at Tewet Tarn, near Keswick, to mark what would have been the 15th birthday of Max the Miracle Dog – the springer spaniel who gained international fame for being credited as saving Kerry’s life after he was left in agonising pain and depression after a car crash.

Max sadly died in April and Kerry – accompanied by his spaniels Paddy and Harry – and supporters of the hero dog wanted to get together for the Brew for Moo Walk to raise funds for the GNAAS – with walkers putting their hands deep in their pockets to raise an astonishing total of £45,465.

Ava’s mother Amy Shaw, an administrative assistant at Cartmell Shepherd Solicitors, said: “If it wasn’t for the GNAAS, then Ava wouldn’t be here; it’s as simple as that. Transporting her to the RVI so quickly was a massive part of her survival, and she spent an extensive amount of time in hospital because her injuries were so severe.

“For me, the air ambulance crew are true unsung heroes and we can’t thank them enough for the life-saving work they carry out, but trying to raise as much money for them is a way of showing how grateful we are.

“We are overwhelmed and honoured to be asked to be a part of this walk and support the amount raised as this is a figure we could only have dreamed of raising ourselves.

“Ava was absolutely over the moon so much money was raised. She made and sold 200 bookmarks which raised £661 on its own, so she was delighted that so many people showed such generous support.”

Kerry has been a long time supporter of the GNAAS and he and Max gained global fame after the spaniel was credited with helping him overcome depression following the incident.

The famous four-legged star supported more than 10,000 people through meet and greets, charity walks, school visits and raised more than £370,000 for charities. Max became the first pet to be awarded the PDSA’s Order of Merit – the equivalent of an OBE for animals – and he was also invited to Buckingham Palace to meet royalty.

Kerry said Max’s legacy will forever live on, and the remarkable fundraising efforts from the weekend proved that there will always be support carried out in his memory.

He said: “We’re absolutely blown away with the amount raised so far in memory of Max, our beautiful boy, and thanks to donations from across the world and of course Ava’s help we have raised an amazing £46,500.”

Carol Fish, a Director and Head of Serious and Catastrophic Injury at Cartmell Shepherd Solicitors, said: “As a company, we are very proud of the wonderful fundraising efforts of Ava and Amy, and we are delighted to be able to provide support through donations and raising awareness of the fantastic work of the GNAAS which provides vital, lifesaving services to the north of England.”

Hannah Powell, Fundraising Lead for the GNAAS, joined in with the charity walk and was bowled over with the support shown for the organisation.

She said: “Ava was a total superstar on the day and the whole crowd loved speaking to her and Amy, and her bookmarks went down a storm.

“We can’t thank Ava and Amy enough for the help they gave Max out in the Lake District by joining in with the Brew for Moo event.”