A schoolgirl refused to let callous thieves stand in her way as she raised almost £750 for the NHS.

Maddison Burgess, 11, from Hythe, wanted to fundraise to support stafff working on Covid-19 wards at the William Harvey Hospital in Ashford.

Her proud mum, Jojo, said: "She began by selling cress and sunflower seedlings and raised £8 in a few days.

“She then decided to start a ‘coin run’ challenge on our driveway, writing NHS in huge letters and asking passing residents to place any spare coins in the letters."

Sadly, on the first day of the coin run, thieves stole £4 of Maddison's heard-earned money.

Jojo said: "Maddison was heartbroken, but not deterred, and we gave her our support to continue.”

This time, the St Augustine's pupil asked donors to draw a circle on the letter to represent their donation, and to post coins through the front door. She provided hand sanitisers and wipes, as well as envelopes, to reduce any infection risk.

"We were so touched by all of her efforts"

By day seven, she had raised £350, and kind neighbours offered to match this amount, bringing the total to £745.80 after some additional donations.

Jojo added: “We are extremely proud of Maddison’s achievement during such difficult times.

“We would like to thank everyone who donated and give special thanks to Mr and Mrs Griggs for their generosity in match-funding Maddison’s fundraising.

“We would also like to thank Kellie Barker at Born Anxious clothing for providing Maddison’s t shirt.”

Dee Neligan, fundraising and development officer for East Kent Hospitals Charity, paid a socially distanced visit to the family to collect the cheque – to the sound of applause from the neighbours.

She said: “We were delighted to be able to visit Maddison and so touched by all of her efforts to fundraise for our NHS Heroes.

“Due to her commitment and energy in raising these funds, we will be able to fund staff emotional wellbeing initiatives during Covid-19. We are really grateful.”

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