‘Worth every penny’

Postman and Greater Mersey Branch CWU area safety representative Jamie McGovern and colleagues from Liverpool South delivery office gave a little boy a surprise gift after he was attacked by dogs near his home in Liverpool.

Schoolboy Lewis Barkley was bitten and dragged around a Speke park by two dogs on Sunday 24 June. Following the attack, the boy’s father desperately tried to keep his son calm on the journey to Alder Hey hospital by talking about his favourite trainers, Nike 110s.

After reading Lewis' story in the Liverpool Echo, colleagues decided to club together to buy him a special treat while he recovers from his injuries.

‘We found out about the story in the Echo, said Jamie. ‘I then made contact with the reporter to ask if we could send this little lad the trainers he spoke about to his rescuer.

‘The reporter made contact with his mum and dad and arranged for me to drop off the gift items after we spoke about his shoes size and preferred style of trainers. We also thought it would be a nice gesture to include an England football shirt for the England vs Columbia match that Monday.

‘We hope this gesture helps raise awareness of the fact that dog attacks affect us all, from those who work in the community to those who live in the community. Little Lewis’s dog attack was a truly horrific event - quite frankly, he is quite lucky to be still alive.’

Speaking to the Echo, Jamie said: ‘Because of the jobs we do, we suffer a lot of dog attacks. We know what people go through with them and when we saw the story we were pretty much heartbroken.

‘If this brings a smile to Lewis' face then it's worth every penny.’

In a letter sent to Lewis along with the gifts, the CWU said: ‘It was with great sadness we read about your dog attack. We know how serious dog attacks can be, as many of our colleagues in Royal Mail, BT and Parcelforce suffer dog attacks on a regular basis.

‘We also know how brave and courageous you must have been during your treatment. Because of this, we would like to give you this gift with our very best wishes.

‘P.S. Hope you wear the shirt when England make the final.’

Lewis' family told the Liverpool Echo they had been left ‘blown away’ by the CWU's random act of kindness, saying they have been amazed by the kindness and generosity the community has shown.

The attack left Lewis incredibly shaken and needing more than 300 stitches.

Although the number of dog attacks on postmen and women has fallen across the country by 8%, compared with the previous year, the number of attacks is still too high.

Every dog attack is one attack too many. On average, there are still 44 attacks taking place each week, with some leading to a permanent and disabling injury. Our sixth annual Dog Awareness Week which took place last month aimed to raise further awareness of dog safety and encourage responsible dog ownership.

Photo by Liverpool Echo.