Youngster raises cash for animals in Australia
A LITTLE girl from Shepshed has raised hundreds of pounds to help animals affected by the Australian wildfires - just by selling juice.
Bella Oakley, seven, who attends Belton Primary School, came home on Friday January 10 and told her mum, 37-year-old Joann, that she wanted to try and raise money by setting up a juice stand.
Joann said: “Her teacher at school went to Australia over Christmas and said on Friday that the school would be raising some money.
“Bella came home from school that day and asked if we could set up a juice stand.”
After the mum and daughter put together a plan, Joann posted on Facebook that they would be raising money and asked people to come by.
Joann added: “The post got more than 500 likes and it just snowballed from there really.
“We had people driving by chucking money out the window at her.”
As a result of the original juice stall mum Joann said the seven-year-old had raised £300 for the wildlife charity, Wires, the largest wildlife rescue organisation in Australia.
Bella also donated the final £2 from her own piggy bank to get the final total over £300.
But the youngster’s efforts sparked so much interest that on Saturday she staged a second successful juice stall and now she has tripled the total raised to an incredible £908!
Joann said that she is incredibly proud of Bella, but this kind of thing is normal for her as she is ‘incredibly selfless’.
She said: “This is in her nature, I think she’s going to work for a charity one day.
“The charity has also thanked her for thinking them. Her stall has reached halfway across the world.”
“When I asked her why she wanted to raise money she said: ‘because mummy, we have to love and care for every country all over the world’.”
As well as raising money by selling juice, Bella will also be taking part in a Colour Run being organised by the school.
Joann said: “It’s also about raising people’s awareness and keeping it in people’s minds. She is so selfless and is always thinking of others. I am so proud of her, she is an incredible little girl and is one of a kind.”