Girl selling painted pebbles helps to raise £250 for Farleigh Hospice

Nancy Biggs, an 11-year-old girl from Chelmsford is painting pebbles and selling them to residents near her home in lockdown and has so far raised £250 for Farleigh Hospice and the NHS.

After painting pebbles for fun, Nancy decided to put up a table outside her house and sell them to those around her, with a homemade sign showing people that proceeds would go to the NHS and Farleigh Hospice.

One of her neighbours helped contribute with some badges and pins, and when she raised £10 on the first day, she was encouraged to continue her efforts and see how much she could raise awareness.

Speaking about her daughter’s fundraising, mother Nicola said “It started as Nancy painting pebbles and leaving them in the park for others to find as a bit of fun, but then she realised she could raise a bit of money by setting up a table and selling them to our neighbours. We’ve already donated £200 to Farleigh and now we’ve managed to top up another £50.

Farleigh looked after my nan, Nancy’s great grandmother, ten years ago. They took great care of her and they did all they could to help our family. Being our local charity, we would want to contribute towards their efforts at this hard time anyway, so this felt completely natural for us and we’re so pleased we can do something positive.”

Alison Stevens, Chief Executive of Farleigh Hospice said “Nancy’s generosity is inspiring, and her artwork is beautiful. We thank her and Nicola for what they’re doing to help us continue providing care for those with life-limiting illnesses in mid-Essex, as well as supporting the NHS as best we can through the COVID-19 pandemic.

To donate to Farleigh Hospice’s Community Appeal, please visit https://www.farleighhospice.org/urgent-community-appeal