A YOUNGSTER has been praised for her innovative fundraising skills to help a charity provide much-needed care packages for the vulnerable.
Grace Harrison, 11, kept herself busy at her home in Newsham during the start of the coronavirus lockdown, creating garlands of rainbow-coloured pom-poms, selling them to friends and family.
Using her trusty pom-pom maker, she produced 200 individual poms which have been strung in windows, on fences and are even in hospitals.
Proud mum Kim said: “Grace has always been crafty and loves creating things. I posted a photograph of one she made for my sister who works in the NHS. She’d put it up at work to bring a bit of cheer.”
Requests from friends, family and neighbours flooded in and Grace decided to donate the £90 she raised to the Teesdale Care Packages scheme after seeing what a difference the parcels were making to an elderly neighbour.
Rachel Tweddle, from the TCR Hub, which has been putting the packages together and distributing them, said: “It is really heart-warming to know that people in the community are thinking of us and using their skills to create income for our project.
“Grace is amazing – she is using something she enjoys to support her community.”
Mrs Harrison added: “I think Grace’s worn herself out making them. She’s sort of retired from the pom-pom making at the moment but it was just something to keep her busy. Her little machine broke and although we tried to fix it with glue it didn’t hold.”
