Lisa Shaw: Charity launched in BBC presenter's memory

A charity is being set up in memory of a BBC presenter to help children who have lost a parent "laugh again".

Lisa Shaw died in May aged 44 and her funeral was held earlier at Durham Cathedral for friends and family.

The BBC Radio Newcastle presenter's brother-in-law, Owen Ryan, said the family wanted to carry on the mother-of-one's legacy.

A coroner will consider if the cause of her death may have been complicated by the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine.

Her family said she was treated for blood clots days after her first vaccination and she was not known to have any underlying health problems.

The charity will be called Lisa Shaw's Little'uns - named after a feature on her programme - and will help provide holidays and activities for bereaved children in need.

A fundraising campaign has already begun with the initial aim of raising £10,000.

Mr Ryan said his sister-in-law was "bright and bubbly" and her family wanted to do something to help grieving children to be able to "laugh again".

"Her little boy has a lot of love and a lot of people around him who are doing everything they can to help him come to terms with losing his mum.

"It occurred to us that not all children will have the support network and we want to help as many children who are going through what Lisa's little boy is in any way we can."

The family went on holiday last week, which had been booked before Ms Shaw died, Mr Ryan said.

"It was very sad not having Lisa there but equally watching her little boy running around with his cousins, laughing and smiling, enjoying the sunshine, it just brought it home to us just how important it is to help children in his position," he added.

Ms Shaw joined BBC Radio Newcastle in 2016 as a daytime presenter and previously had a successful career in commercial radio.

Mr Ryan said her family had received great comfort from "touching letters" sent by her "extended family" of listeners.

"The support she provided to people during the pandemic, I think none of us could fully understand what she was doing and how important she was to so many people who were on their own during isolation," he added.

"It gives us great comfort, but also makes us sad, to know that she was such an amazing person in so many other people's lives, not just ours."

An interim fact-of-death certificate, issued by Newcastle's senior coroner, listed the vaccine as one of the possible factors under consideration in Ms Shaw's death.

The document does not determine a cause of death - that will not be issued until the investigation has been completed.

The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has said vaccine benefits exceed risks for most people.

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