Meet the Leeds schoolgirl picking up litter to make a big splash for charity
The eight-year-old from Leeds is a superstar 🌟
She might only be eight, but little Millie Hull is already making a huge splash.
The Leeds youngster has raised hundreds of pounds to support an inclusive swimming club by arming herself with a litter picker to collect rubbish.
The schoolgirl has taken on a charity litter pick around as many parks in Leeds as possible to raise money to support Leeds Stars, who regularly train at the Armley Leisure Centre.
The group, which was first created in 2015, proudly represents Leeds at Special Olympics across Yorkshire and the Humber.
Millie’s mother Anna is an assistant coach at Leeds Stars and for Millie, watching the swimmers in action inspired her to start her fundraising challenge.
Millie said: I wanted to help the Leeds Stars. They are amazing and super fast. They have to go to the galas and I wanted to help make sure that they get there.
“If there’s anything left over, they can use it to pay for (a) new kit or at least go towards it. I once made a sign that said “Go Leeds Stars!!” on it and watched them train one Saturday - I love watching them swim!”
The youngster has spent the past two Saturdays litter picking across Leeds and was shocked to discover how much rubbish is laying around.
“I really enjoyed it, but it was really disappointing to see how much litter there was and how many bins were around the parks that weren’t being used,” Millie said.
“(There were) so many drinks cans and bottles, sweets wrappers and I even found a shoe! The worst thing about it is I know that I might have cleared up the rubbish but it will still happen and that’s sad because it’s where children play.”
With donations still coming in, Millie has raised £310 for Leeds Stars so far which will help cover gala entry fees so Leeds Stars can continue to attend Special Olympics competitions and bring home medals for Leeds.
Millie said that she feels “so happy” she has beaten her fundraising target.
Millie said: “I can’t believe it. I wanted to raise £100 and I’ve raised £300.”
“I never thought I would raise this much and I want to thank everyone that has donated. It’s just amazing!”
Millie’s parents have said they are “super proud” of the initiative young Millie has taken to support the swimming group.
Millie’s mother Anna said: “When I told her that Leeds Stars were running low on funds, she started Googling things that she could do to help and raise money. She wanted to do something different than a sponsored walk or reading, as she said she wanted to do something helpful.
“I suggested litter picking and she said it was perfect - that way she could do good whilst raising money for a good cause. We couldn’t be prouder of her.”