Community shows its support

A HELPING hand in a time of tragedy was extended to Nellie’s family as the Shaw community rallied round to offer support.

Upon hearing the news, the Shaw Pool League winners, a team from the Duke of York, immediately decided to donate their winnings to Nellie.

This gesture spread across the league at a presentation at the Cricketers Arms on Friday night, with a host of other teams offering donations. But after putting a message out on Facebook, winning team member Paul Houldsworth was inundated with locals wanting to pledge money and create a fund for Nellie and her family.

He said: “It just absolutely snowballed, in a matter of minutes I had about 40 messages from individuals wanting to donate too.

“People were just saying how awful it was and how they couldn’t believe what had happened.”

Already businesses have come on board offering donations with the current total at over £1,000 and growing by the hour.

Paul added: “Shaw is a close-knit community.

“When something like this happens, everyone — even people you wouldn’t expect — comes out of the woodwork to help out.”

The idea is to contact Nellie’s family and possibly help with funeral arrangements or look into staging an event of remembrance at a later date.