THE HEAD of a school near Hereford has vowed to do whatever it takes to help one of her pupils raise £25,000 to an operation to repair a hole in her heart.

The head of Canon Pyon CE Academy is organising a fundraising day as part of the campaign to fix nine-year-old Ava Bailey’s heart.

She has a 27 millimetre hole in her heart, but faces up to 18 months on a waiting list if the family doesn’t find £25,000 to cover the cost of the open-heart operation at Birmingham Children’s Hospital.

That’s why the Hereford Times has launched its Fix Ava’s Heart campaign to help Ava’s mum and dad, Becky and Richard, raise the money needed.

Head of school Kelly Carpenter said Ava, who she has taught for the last two years, was “the loveliest little girl”.

“Becky and Richard are fabulous and have been great supporters of the school, so we’re going to drop everything and do what we can,” Mrs Carpenter said, calling Ava a little princess.

“Even amid the current climate our community will dig deep and help her out.”

A “big heart fun day” is being planned at the school where children will be dressed in red and pink and take part in heart-themed activities, with a cake sale at the end of the day, with parents asked to donate what they can to the appeal, with the overall total now at £6,271.