Sean McGrotty, Louise James with their children Mark, Evan and baby Rioghnach-Ann
LOUISE JAMES, the resilient Derry mum who lost five members of her family in the tragic Buncrana Pier incident earlier this year, has been recognised for her fundraising efforts in honour of one of her sons.
Louise James’ sons Mark, 12, and eight-year-old Evan, her partner Sean, her mother Ruth and her teenage sister Jodie-Lee all perished when the Audi Q7 4 X 4 vehicle they were in slid down an algae-covered slipway and into the freezing cold Donegal sea.
The only survivor was four-month-old baby Ríoghnach, who was saved by heroic passer-by Davitt Walsh who swam out and plucked her to safety from the sinking car.
Evan had been diagnosed at a young age with Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
And since the tragedy Louise has devoted her energies to raising money in his memory for the charity Muscular Dystrophy UK.
She has campaigned to raise public awareness of the charity’s work and has been part of a marathon-running team named #TeamEvan.#
So far Louise’s efforts have raised more than £15,000 for Muscular Dystrophy UK and helped the charity change the lives of young people like Evan.
She was nominated for the regional ITV Fundraiser award alongside three other generous people from Northern Ireland:
- Aine Beatty, mother of Celtic superfan Jay Beatty, who started Down’s and Proud a coffee morning 10 years ago, which has expanded into an annual summer scheme, training course and activity days. She hopes to eventually build a Down’s Syndrome centre.
- Colin Bell, who set up the Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust following his son’s tragic hit-and-run death in New York. The charity helps to repatriate loved ones who have died abroad.
- Rosemary Day, who has raised funds to support members of the Armed Forces in memory of her daughter Channing who was killed in Afghanistan.
Louise James receiving her award for running a leg of the Belfast Marathon in May this year
However, it was the young mother’s ability to transform her personal tragedy into a feat of courage and her generosity of spirit that stood out to the judging panel including gold medal winning Paralympian Michael McKillop.
Louise will be invited to the star-studded awards ceremony which takes place at the end of the month, and as a regional finalist could go on to be the overall winner on the night.
She told UTV’s North West reporter Mark McFadden; “My involvement with the charity started when Evan was diagnosed with at the age of three, we never let Evan have an illness, he was Evan, he was his own wee character and his illness never ever got him down.
“It’s not for me, it’s for this town and it’s for my son and my family. I feel like I’m not the only person grieving, everybody is grieving with me and I will fight for as long as I can to help other boys with Evan’s condition.
So far Louise’s efforts have raised more than £15,000 for Muscular Dystrophy UK and helped the charity change the lives of young people like Evan.
Louise will be heading off to London next month for the Daily Mirror Pride of Britain Awards.
Although she is in the final of the regional heats, Louise is in with a chance of being crowned the overall winner.
We all wish Louise of the best of luck.
