News

A schoolgirl has been inspired to raise money for Seashell Trust by her grandma who volunteers here.

Ella Walker has pledged a year of fundraising, and persuaded her class at Manchester High School for Girls to adopt the trust as its charity of the year.

Ella, 12, from from Smithy Lane, Mottram St Andrew, said: “I nominated Seashell because my grandma is a volunteer carer for Mickie, a boy who has recently joined Seashell. Grandma has been one of his carers for a very long time and is always telling me about Mickie and how he is getting on.”

Ella's grandma Beryl Barrow, a retired bookeeper from Offerton in Stockport, has worked with 20-year-old Mickie Southam for 13 years. Mickie has undiagnosed leukodystrophy which is a degenerative neurological condition.

She said: “I met Mickie through Sharecare. I went to help for two hours at teatime and have been going ever since, but now as a friend of the family. Mickie started at Seashell Trust last September. Ella has heard me speak of him and the things he has done all her life.”

Ella said: “I started at Christmas by asking my dad if he would send my speech I made to my form at school to his company.”

Her father is a managing director at a local bank which has a charity committee.

Ella went on: “We asked them if they could fund Seashell's Christmas party and presents. They agreed and that, together with some letters I sent to local businesses asking for donations, has raised £1,270 so far.”

Ella added: “We have planned a cake sale at Easter, a car boot sale in May and a sponsored tennis doubles match with my friend Holly against the school PE teachers. Holly and I are both mad on tennis. The teachers prefer badminton so they say we have to play them at badminton as well.”

Ella is also going to do the Great North Swim, an open water half mile swim for 12-16 year olds in Lake Windermere in June.

She said: “It will be my first open water swim. I'm hoping to get as many people as possible to sponsor me £1. Hopefully the swim will raise a lot of money before the end of the school year.”

If you would like to sponsor Ella, contact Seashell Trust's fundraising department on 0161 610 0168.