KIND-HEARTED residents are clubbing together to send a sick Kilwinning girl on a trip to her "favourite place".
Ava Nelson is only 10 years old, and in June of this year was diagnosed with a highly aggressive brain tumour, called a glioma, by specialists at Crosshouse Hospital in Kilmarnock.
A glioma is a tumor that forms when glial cells grow out of control. Normally, these cells support nerves and help your central nervous system work.
The cancer has been described as "inoperable and incurable", and life has been hectic for Ava and her family since the heartbreaking diagnosis.
Ava has undergone six weeks of intense radiotherapy, and also chemotherapy and which finished on August 5.
So far her tumour has not spread, though there is still inflammation, and she is due to go for her latest "big scan" on September 6.
Since the Pennyburn Primary pupil's initial diagnosis, many good Samaritans have been coming together to ensure she still gets to live life to the full as she battles the tumour.
The latest of these kind acts has seen a group of individuals look to raise money to send Ava and her family on a trip to "her favourite place on the planet" - Blackpool.
A Justgiving page has been set up (available here), and the group behind an annual fund-raising football match have organised another event to get behind young Ava.
The Alfie Curran Memorial Match was first played in 2019, to raise money in memory of Alfie Curran, who died in 2019 after living with cerebral palsy.
As with last year, the 2022 match will be played between two Saltcoats Sunday League football teams - Crown Inn AFC and Bobby's Bar AFC - the latter team managed by Ava's mum's partner.
The match will take place at Ardeer Thistle's stadium on September 17, kicking off at 4pm.
Entry will be £3 for adults and free for children, while there will also be plenty of food, drink, stalls and entertainment on offer on the day.
For more information about the event, visit here.
At the time of writing, the JustGiving page had raised £115 towards its £2,500 target.
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