The people of Perth have raised more than £3,000 for a toddler whose tragic mother died as a result of an asthma attack.
Perth and North Perthshire MP Pete Wishart joined Pete Chan at his China China takeaway in Craigie to review the progress made in the efforts to support Mason Martin.
The toddler’s mother, Lydia MacDonald, 28, was found dead at her Perth flat on June 10, and it was understood that three-year-old Mason was by her side for around two days after she died.
Mr Chan launched Team Mason on Facebook and it has drawn support from a swathe of the Perth community, with proceeds to be divided between setting up a bank account for Mason and funds going to Asthma UK.
Mr Wishart is a trustee of the Team Mason initiative and spoke of the issues he wants to raise with the UK Government about adequate support following fatalities from asthma.
He said: “This was an episode that shocked the people of Perth and there has been a real sense of the community gathering round and supporting the family.
“What I now want to see is this response to be matched by the Government. Fatalities from otherwise healthy asthma sufferers are rare but it remains under-researched and under-supported.
“I hope this superb initiative in Perth will mean that the Government now looks at how it resources support services for asthma so that no other families have to endure what the MacDonald family have been through.
“I will now be writing to both the UK and Scottish Governments to highlight this campaign and ask what more can be done to ensure that tackling asthma is properly resourced and supported.”
Mr Chan said he had “really enjoyed” being involved in the fundraising effort. “We’re hoping to raise around £4,000 and it’s been great to see the community help with this,” he told The Courier.
“We’ve had money from people at Perth Concert Hall, the BP Triangle, Perth, and I’ve been notified that wives of RAF personnel at Lossiemouth will be fundraising, so we’ve had help from people from all walks of life.”
Lydia’s father, Ronald MacDonald, said the family are “overwhelmed by the generosity” of the public.
“We’d like to thank the Perth people very much, especially Pete Chan for this fundraising campaign,” he said.
Lydia’s funeral was held on June 19 at Perth Crematorium when those who attended heard her son “was her life”.