TWINS Ella and Francesca Cummings are on a mission to raise cash for a children’s hospice...

by selling handmade snowflakes.

The seven-year-old sisters came up with the idea of helping Little Havens Hospice after taking part in the charity’s Mulberry Mud Run.

Helped by their younger brother, Sam, five, they are decorating the paper snowflakes with glitter glue and selling them to relatives and friends for 10p each.

The girls, both Year 3 pupils at Edward Francis Primary School, Rayleigh, are donating the proceeds to Little Havens H o s p i c e , Thundersley, and now have 122 orders to complete.

Their mother, Louise C u m m i n g s, from Rayleigh, said: “I came home one day to find the girls outside, looking up at their bedroom window.

“They wanted to know if I could see the sign they had put in the window next to their display of snowflakes.

“It read, ‘We are selling these for 10p for the children who aren’t well at Christmas’.

“My heart melted. It was all their idea to give the money to Little Havens, which they were aware of after the mud run and because we drive past the hospice regularly.

“The fact this was all the girls’ idea makes it really special to me. They’ve got to the age where they have some awareness of the fact they are very lucky.

“I’m really proud of them.

Our family and friends have responded so well, they now have orders for 122 snowflakes and lots of people have made extra donations.

“I’d like to thank everybody for being so generous and recognising the effort the girls have put in.”

The hospice provides respite and end-of-life care for seriouslyill children from across Essex and is part of Havens Hospices.

Havens’ community fundraiser HilaryMetcalfe said: “It’s so lovely to hear children so young as Ella and Francesca are thinking about their local children’s hospice this Christmas.

“Making and selling their snowflakes is a brilliant way of raising funds for the charity whilst also getting into the Christmas spirit.

“At Havens, we help by controlling pain and medication, offering respite and caring for babies, children, teenagers and adults at the end of their lives.

“We don’t charge a penny for this care and it simply wouldn’t be possible without the support of everybody out there in the community.”