Armagh fundraiser extraordinaire, Willie Nugent has announced his seventh incoming children’s Christmas book to coincide with celebration of the main character’s 15th birthday!
Many who are familiar with Willie’s Christmas stories will know of Maisie the Cairn Terrier’s adventures.
And, those who know Willie will know that Maisie is a very real and adorable personality that rarely leaves his side.
The fundraising veteran – whose efforts were honoured with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s daily Points of Light award in January 2024 – took Maisie in from The Dog’s Trust in Enniskillen when she was just a pup.
Back then, Willie recalls, “she was like a wee rat in the palm of my hand!”
Speaking to Armagh I, Willie explained that when she was a puppy, “she was some craic”. He laughed: “In the house there, if you went out and come back there was stuff all over the house… but we always kept her very friendly.”
Willie has been fundraising for various charities over the last 50 years and during that time he has always had a dog… and those four-legged friends have continuously played a part in bringing in funds.
So, when he came to write the Christmas books, he naturally thought of his current companion, Maisie.
Maisie as a pup before she joined Willie in his Armagh home
And now the pawsome Santa’s elf has become so famous locally that children often recognise her from the tales and can’t wait to grab a snap with her!
Willie loves the joy children get from meeting her in real life and welcomes the attention, but he kindly asks that people always approach her where she can see them before petting, as the senior citizen has now sadly lost her hearing and can be easily startled.
Together, they have raised on average of £3,000 a year through book sales, with the total split evenly between three charities; The Children’s Cancer Centre, The Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children and Guide Dogs for the Blind (in honour of Maisie).
In six years, they have reached a grand overall total of a whopping £18,000 and Willie has high hopes that after this Christmas he will have hit the £21,000 mark.
He has always kept the cost of a book at £5 and has covers the cost of production through sponsorship… which means every penny raised goes directly to the charities.
Willie informed Armagh I that Maisie is now already working with Santa and his team of elves in busy preparation of the new book – which will hit shops this November.
Speaking of this year’s offering, Willie teases, “There’s an additional surprise to follow, but I’ll keep that closer to the time!”
With Maisie’s 15th birthday now been and gone, he says Maisie has officially surpassed her average life expectancy by three years.
But, like people, he adds: “If they are in good health they will live on much longer” and staying true to the old saying, he finished: “There’s life in the old dog yet!”
