A YOUNGSTER from Poundbury has designed his own leaflet to encourage people to save the Portland coastguard helicopter.

Matthew Mew, six, drew the leaflet after overhearing his dad, an intensive care consultant, talking about the future of the service.

Dr Ian Mew, who works at Dorset County Hospital, said: “It was all his own idea. He overheard me talking to my brother about how the helicopter saves lives and decided there and then to do something to take to school and encourage people to sign it.”

Matthew, a pupil at Damers First School, sat down with paper and crayons to create the leaflet, which he then took into school.

Dr Mew added: “He was too busy drawing to sit down and have his dinner.

“He is quite switched on for his age and is quite blunt about the message he wants to get across.

“He says people will die if they close down the base.”

Matthew, who lives with his parents and brothers William, four, and Daniel, two, said it is ‘very important’ that the coastguard helicopter is able to continue rescuing people.

He said: “With my leaflet I want to say that they should not take the helicopter away because it saves people.”

Matthew joins a number of people, including MP for South Dorset Richard Drax, and his dad, who created the online petition, who have spoken out in a bid to save the threatened service.

Acting headmistress of Damers, Moira Bearwish, praised Matthew’s actions. She said: “I think this campaign is very close to the hearts of the people of Weymouth and Portland, but there is perhaps less awareness of the issue in Dorchester.

“It’s really important that Matthew has taken this on board, and we are going to email the leaflet to all our parents to get his message out there.”

Dr Mew said the leaflet was typical of his son, who he described as ‘very caring’.

“I take him fishing and kayaking, so he is no stranger to the sea, and often overhears calls go out on the radio when someone is in danger.

“We were out a few years ago when we heard about some canoeists in trouble at Portland Bill and he asked me if we could go and save them.

“It is really lovely that he wants to do something that will make a difference.”

Matthew’s mum Elizabeth said: “We are very proud of him. But we always were.”

Signatures needed

THE contract for the coastguard helicopter base on Portland is due to expire in 2017 because of budget cuts, meaning a team from Lee-on-Solent would respond to incidents in the area.

Dr Mew said the Portland base is ‘invaluable’ in the course of his life-saving work.

He said: “I had an eight-year-old patient a few years ago who was critically ill with meningitis. There was so much snow around that it would have been dangerous to put her in an ambulance.

“Her life was saved because the helicopter transferred her to Southampton for treatment.

“Without the coastguard helicopter, she would have died.”

The e-petition needs 100,000 signatures before August 23 to raise the debate in the House of Commons.

To sign it, visit http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/30225