Animal oxygen mask funding part of fostering charity workshop in memory of fatal crash Edinburgh vet student

An East Lothian fostering charity is launching a new animal welfare workshop in memory of a much-loved vet student who died in a crash on the A1 road.

Meghan and her dog, Milo. Pic: Family of Meghan Ambrozevich-Blair.

Fostering Compassion is running the Animal Heroes workshop in honour of Meghan Ambrozevich-Blair, a veterinary nursing student who was killed in a collision in December 2016.

Meghan was travelling northbound on the A1 when her car collided with a truck which was driving on the wrong side of the road. READ MORE: Tributes pour in for student who died in A1 crashAs part of the Animal Heroes initiative, the Ormiston-based charity will also raise funds to help save the lives of animals which desperately need resuscitation after being rescued from fires.

The workshop will be dedicated to the daughter of East Lothian firefighter and Queen's Fire Service Medal (QFSM) Kevin Blair and wife Lauren, to remember their daughter Meghan.

Funds will be raised for oxygen masks for animals saved from fires. Pic: Fostering Compassion.

The young veterinary nursing student, who studied at Napier University, was a strong animal welfare campaigner and a keen supporter of Fostering Compassion.

Lesley Winton, CEO of Fostering Compassion, said: “The new workshop, which will see the charity teaming up with the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, will teach the children about animals who save humans and humans who save animals.

“For the latter part of the workshop, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service will come to talk to the children about amazing animal rescues they have been part of. The children will also learn about fire safety to keep humans and animals safe.”

Meghan’s mother Lauren and father Kevin said: “We remember Meghan talking about meeting Lesley and how excited she was about the prospect of being involved with Fostering Compassion. The workshop is such a lovely way to keep Meghan’s memory alive."

Each Fostering Compassion workshop includes the donation of ‘gifts of compassion’ from the children to animals in need.

Through the Animal Heroes workshop funds will be raised to donate Smokey Paws oxygen mask kits - used by firefighters to resuscitate animals pulled from fires - for each of ten fire stations in the Lothians, Borders and Fife which don’t yet have them.

These gifts help encourage compassion and empathy in the children and at the same time, with the blessing of her family, will help keep Meghan’s memory alive.

Ms Winton said: "Meghan was also a firm believer of ‘random acts of kindness’ and created the ‘Wishing Tree’ in Pressmennan Woods in East Lothian where she hung inspirational messages full of hope and love. Both these gestures and activities will be incorporated in the workshop and the children will be encouraged to continue them at home to build on positive behavioural changes as a result of attending the Fostering Compassion activities.

"We are greatly honoured to have her family’s blessing to do this and thank them very much for their unwavering support."

Fostering Compassion runs animal and nature themed workshops for children in foster care and kinship care and continually develops new workshops to cope with the increasing demand for their service.

Beginning in 2013 with just 10 children, nearly 700 youngsters from throughout Scotland have now benefited from the programme.

Anyone who would like to donate to Fostering Compassion or the oxygen masks fund can do so via the website at https://www.fosteringcompassion.org/ or their special Wonderful.org appeal page or by calling the office on 01875 393 102.