A 'caring, loving and funny' teenager who died after being hit by a train will live on thanks to a special education programme set up at her former school.
Eve Lewis, who dreamed of becoming a lawyer, died on train tracks near her house at around 1.35pm on September 26, 2021.
The 15-year-old who lived on Ainscough Drive, had been struggling with anorexia, but her family believed she had overcome the worst of the devastating condition.
READ MORE: Teenage girl took the dog out for a walk and never came home
A dinner and auction fundraiser held in Southport on October 6 in honour of her life raised almost £10,000 for the Lancashire eating disorder charity, SEED. The money will be used by the service to help set up to an education programme identifying the early signs of eating disorders in 18 senior North West schools, starting with Eve’s school, Burscough Priory Academy.
Eve Lewis was in her final year of school when she went out for a walk with her dog and never returned.
Her family believed she was still tormented by anorexia and was struggling to overcome the intense internal battle.
"Eve’s Legacy Charity Dinner" was held at Bliss Hotel on the Waterfront in the hopes of saving other children from a similar fate, by promoting positive self-esteem and body image.
Eve’s sister Charlotte said at the event: “I’m not an expert in anorexia. But I am an expert on Eve.”
Her family added: “We would like to thank everyone who contributed to making Eve’s Legacy fundraiser such a huge success. It was a combined effort from SEED, all of Eve’s family, our friends, and the local community who pulled together and were absolutely amazing.
“Eve would have loved the evening, especially seeing her friends win the bid for the holiday. She would have been jumping up and down, shrieking with excitement.
“We did her proud and raised enough money to get the education and support into lots of schools, for which we are really grateful. Thank you to all who helped.”
Shelley Perry, CEO and founder of SEED, said: "Eve’s Legacy was a fabulous event. It was so well supported by Eve’s community of friends, family, schools, church, and local businesses – all of who came together to make the event happen. There was a lot of love in that room for Eve and her family.
“We raised a magnificent £9,500 on the night. This will allow us to deliver workshops in 18 senior schools in the North West, around self-esteem and body image, along with training teachers about how to spot and help when students may have an eating disorder.
“We are so pleased to work alongside Eve’s family and make a difference because of, and for, Eve. We want to proactively provide the necessary help so that others don’t suffer as she did.”
- SEED is a Lancashire charity based in Preston offering information, advice, education, and practical help for individuals suffering from eating disorders and their carers - https://www.seedlancashire.co.uk
- Papyrus is a charity specialising in helping young people with suicidal thoughts - https://www.papyrus-uk.org
- Young Minds is a mental health support service for young people, and has published a guide to anorexia - https://www.youngminds.org.uk/young-person/mental-health-conditions/anorexia/
- Beat is a UK charity helping with eating disorders. They offer a one-to-one webchat service for anyone who would like to talk about eating disorders - https://www.beateatingdisorders.org.uk/get-information-and-support/get-help-for-myself/i-need-support-now/one-to-one-web-chat/
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