The Creator Behind Maya’s Adventure Books
Author & Illustrator: Rachael Glew
Rachael's Words Of Inspiration
“I’m truly delighted to support Donate For Defib in their incredible journey to install as many life-saving defibrillators across the South West as possible. The dedication of the project, its volunteers, and the community inspires me every single day. This passion is what led me to create Maya’s Tails Illustrations; a series of children’s books designed not only to educate but to inspire the next generation from the very earliest stages of life.”
Rachael – Children’s Author & Illustrator
🌟 Rachael – Community Champion & Author of Maya the Defib Dog
Donate For Defib WSM Project Administrator | Safeguarding Lead | Imaging Support Worker at Southmead Hospital NBT and former Nursery Nurse.
❤ About Rachael
Rachael is a passionate community advocate and children’s author, leading the Donate For Defib WSM project with heart and purpose. She currently serves as:
Project Administrator & Safeguarding Lead at Donate For Defib WSM Project.
Imaging Support Worker at Southmead Hospital (NBT)
Her work blends community action, health education, and creativity—empowering both adults and children to learn life-saving skills in gentle, inspiring ways.
Letters Of Support From Our Supporters For Maya's Tails Illustrations
Sponsorship Sunday - Recognising Our Sponsors
Written: 26th July 2025
🌟 Sponsor Sunday is here! 🌟
Every Sunday for the next 4 weeks, we’ll be celebrating our incredible Sponsors who help bring Maya’s Tails Illustrations to life! 🐾💛
We’ll be shining a spotlight on the amazing work they do and sharing why we’re so proud to have them as part of the Maya’s Tails family.
✨ Keep an eye out for our first Sponsor Sunday post tomorrow!
📣 Don’t forget to Like, Share, and Follow so you don’t miss a moment of the love and gratitude! 💚💙
#SponsorSunday #MayasTailsIllustrations #CommunitySupport #Gratitude #ThankYouSponsors
Ian Phillips Photography – Weston-super-Mare
📚🐾 Exciting News from Maya’s Tails Illustrations! 🐶💛
We are absolutely delighted to receive a letter of support from Ian Phillips Photography 📸, who will be backing the ongoing development of our interactive storybooks! These books aim to inspire the next generation about the importance of life-saving defibrillators and bleed kits. 💬❤🩹
Your ideas can make a difference too!
🌟 Want to get involved?
📧 Email Rachael at: [email protected]
💬 Or simply comment below to share your life-saving inspiration!
Together, we’re creating stories that save lives. 📖✨
#MayasTails #DefibAwareness #BleedKitHeroes #StorybooksThatSaveLives #IanPhillipsPhotography #DonateForDefib #CommunitySupport
JD3DP - Weston-super-Mare
🎉🐾 A Huge Thank You to JD3DP! 🐾🎉
We’re absolutely thrilled to celebrate the amazing support from JD3DP – one of our leading sponsors for Maya’s Tails Illustrations! 💛
A special shoutout to Josh for his continued dedication, encouragement, and belief in our mission. Your letter of support means the world to us, and it’s clear that Maya the Defib Dog has made a new friend for life! 🐶✨
Together, we’re bringing Maya’s stories to life—helping to spread defibrillator awareness in the most imaginative and heartwarming way. 💬📖⚡
We’re so excited for the journey ahead and can’t wait to collaborate further as Maya’s Adventures unfold! 🎨🚑
#ThankYouJD3DP #MayasTails #DefibDog #DonateForDefib #CommunitySupport #MayaTheDefibDog #IllustrationJourney
Sand Bay Fish & Chip Shop & Cosy Cafe
🎉🐾 A Massive Thank You to Sand Bay Fish & Chips and Cosy Café 🐾🎉
We’re incredibly grateful for the generous support from Sand Bay Fish and Chips – The Cosy Cafe, one of our cherished community sponsors for Maya’s Tails Illustrations! 💛🐟🍟
A heartfelt shoutout to the amazing team for backing our mission with such warmth and enthusiasm. Your encouragement means the world to us—and Maya the Defib Dog is wagging her tail with joy knowing she’s found another seaside friend! 🐶🌊
Thanks to supporters like you, we’re able to continue creating inspiring stories that raise defibrillator awareness in fun, heartwarming, and unforgettable ways. 📚⚡❤
We can’t wait to continue this journey with you—one chip, one cheer, and one story at a time! 🎨🚑🐾
#ThankYouCosyCafe #SandBaySupport #MayaTheDefibDog #DonateForDefib #CommunityChampions #MayasTails #DefibAwareness #FishAndChipsAndKindness
Tait & Tails
💚🐾 Sponsor Spotlight: Tait & Tails 🐾💚
We’re sending a huge THANK YOU to Tait & Tails for their incredible support of Maya’s Tails Illustrations! 🐶✨
Thanks to their generous sponsorship, we’re able to bring life-saving educational books to even more children and families across our community. From supporting Maya’s Tails books to helping fund vital awareness campaigns, Tait & Tails is making a real difference—one tail wag at a time! 💓⚡📚
It’s inspiring to have local businesses like Tait & Tails who not only care deeply about pets but also about people. Their kindness helps keep hearts beating and tails wagging! 🐕🦺💫
Let’s show them some love—give their page a follow and support this amazing local business! 🙌
#CommunityHeroes #TaitAndTails #MayaTheDefibDog #DefibAwareness #LocalSupport #ThankYou
Updates & Ongoing Developments
Visit to Life Skills Centre with Sam Jury - 21.07.2025
Meeting Update Alert! Part 1/3
Visit to Life Skills Centre with Sam Jury
🌟 Learning Through Role Play! 🌟
On Monday, we had the fantastic opportunity to visit Life Skills in Bristol and meet with the wonderful Sam Jury.
We were completely inspired by their incredible virtual learning environment, where students (Year 6 and above) are immersed in real-life scenarios to help them learn essential safety and life skills. 🚸🔥💡
From spotting hazards in a kitchen, to understanding how to react in emergencies, the facility is packed with interactive and lifelike scenes—including roads, shops, public transport, and even mock hospitals—all designed to teach young people how to recognise danger, act responsibly, and stay safe.
This innovative, role-play-based approach aligns beautifully with our own mission at Maya’s Tails Illustrations—educating children through story, engagement, and heart ❤🐾
A huge thank you to Sam and the Life Skills team for showing us around and sparking so many ideas for how Maya might one day join in with your life-saving lessons!
📚 Watch this space—there could be a very exciting collaboration in the future!
#LifeSkills #EducationThroughExperience #MayaTheDefibDog #SafetyAwareness #ChildrensEducation #MayasTailsIllustrations
Sharing The Partnership With Ian Phillips Photography - 21.07.2025
Meeting Update Alert! Part 2/3
📍 Post 2: Headshots and New Partnership with Ian Phillips Photography
📸 Smile for the camera! 📸
We were thrilled on Monday to have a session with the incredibly talented Ian Phillips Photography — who took our professional headshots for Maya’s Tails Illustrations! 👩🎨🐾
Ian has a remarkable ability to capture not just a photo, but a person’s energy and purpose—and we’re absolutely delighted with the results! ✨
Even more exciting… we’re proud to welcome Ian as an official partner of Maya’s Tails! His stunning photography brings a professional, polished touch to our brand—helping to make our educational and heartfelt stories look as beautiful as they feel.
📸 Whether it’s promotional materials, book covers, events or behind-the-scenes storytelling, Ian’s talent adds visual magic to our mission.
👉 Please do visit his website to see his breathtaking work: https://www.ianphillipsphoto.com/
Thank you, Ian, for capturing who we are, and for becoming part of the Maya’s Tails family!
#IanPhillipsPhotography #CreativePartners #ProfessionalPhotography #MayaTheDefibDog #VisualStorytelling #MayasTailsIllustrations
Maya's Adventures & Ongoing Work
🐾💛 Maya’s Grand Adventure in Bristol! 💛🐾
Written: Saturday 26th July 2025
Today, our beloved Maya the Defib Dog had a very special day out – she went to Bristol to meet her friends Wallace & Gromit in support of the incredible Wallace & Gromit’s Grand Appeal for Bristol Children’s Hospital! 🎉🏥
This is a cause close to our hearts. 💖 Not only was Josh, our Project Lead, saved at this very hospital, but our Clinical Lead Ambassador, Professor Graham Stuart, also worked there as a Consultant Cardiologist – saving lives and inspiring our mission every step of the way. 🩺⚡
Maya’s visit helped raise awareness for both the amazing work at Bristol Children’s Hospital and the importance of cardiac care and community defibrillators.
💥 Exciting news! We’ll soon be launching our South West & Wales Defib Collaboration Network, bringing together expertise and communities to improve cardiac care and access to defibrillators across our region. Watch this space! 🌍❤
Together, let’s make every heartbeat count.
#MayaTheDefibDog #WallaceAndGromit #GrandAppeal #DefibAwareness #DonateForDefib #CommunityHeart #CardiacCare #SouthWestAndWalesDefibNetwork #SavingLives #BristolChildrensHospital #HeartSafeCommunities
📚 INTERVIEW: Bringing Heart to Learning – Meet the Author Behind Maya the Defib Dog
Question 1: Congratulations on your new children’s books! Can you tell us a little about Maya the Defib Dog and what inspired you to write them?
Thank you so much! Maya the Defib Dog is a very special series of children’s books I’ve written to help young readers learn about defibrillators (AEDs), how they save lives, and how the emergency services work together to help people in need. The inspiration came from our real-life community defib campaign and Maya, our brilliant mascot, who brings a comforting and friendly face to what can be a scary topic. I wanted to create something that could educate children in a gentle, engaging way—something that sparks both understanding and confidence.
Question 2: Why did you choose a dog, and specifically Maya, as the central character?
Maya is a real dog who’s already part of our campaign work, and children absolutely love her. She’s calm, kind, and always curious—qualities that help make learning less intimidating. Kids naturally connect with animals, and Maya helps open the door to important conversations about emergencies, without fear. She’s brave, loyal, and always on the lookout for defibs—what better role model for young readers?
Question 3: What are the stories about?
Each book follows Maya on a different adventure. In one, she helps search for a missing defibrillator; in another, she works with paramedics and firefighters to teach children how to spot AEDs in their community. The stories blend real-life scenarios with playful storytelling. The goal is to gently introduce ideas like calling 999, knowing what a defib looks like, and why they matter—all through Maya’s eyes.
Question 4: How will these books help children understand AEDs and the emergency services?
The books are designed to build awareness and confidence. Children learn what a defibrillator is, how it’s used in an emergency, and that it’s there to help someone’s heart start beating again. They also learn how the emergency services work together as a team. By using clear, age-appropriate language and illustrations, the books break down these concepts into manageable, memorable pieces. We also hope it encourages children to notice where AEDs are located—like outside shops or schools—so they grow up aware and possibly empowered to help.
Question 5: What age group are the books aimed at?
The books are mainly for children aged 3 to 9, with a mix of picture book storytelling for the younger ones and slightly more detailed explanations for older readers. We’ve worked hard to make them suitable for both home reading and classroom use.
Question 6: What do you hope readers—especially young ones—take away from Maya’s stories?
I hope they come away feeling brave, informed, and inspired. These stories aren’t just about medical equipment—they’re about community, kindness, and heroes, both human and canine! I want children to know that it’s okay to talk about emergencies, and that even at a young age, they can understand how to help or be aware. Maya shows them that helping others is something to be proud of.
Question 7: Where can people get the books, and will there be more adventures coming?
Yes—Maya has plenty more adventures coming! We’re working on additional titles tied to real-life defib campaigns and collaborations with emergency services and local schools. The books will be available through our campaign events, local partners, and soon online. Keep an eye out, we’ll be sharing updates regularly.
Press Centre - Good News Post Stories
Headline: "Her Mum Dreamed of Storybooks — Now Rachael’s Writing Them to Save Lives with a Cute Dog at the Centre"
Good News Post Story
Date Published: 24th July 2025
Click the link below to view the whole article!
Where Does The Stories Come From?
Get In Touch With Maya Tails Illustrations - Speak To Rachael
💌 Got a Book Idea?
Rachael is always looking for new educational ideas for children’s books to help inspire and learn the next generation from within our local community!
📮 Please send your suggestions to [email protected]