A LITTLE girl raised more than £600 for Great Ormond Street Hospital after her little brother was diagnosed with leukaemia.

Evie Murphy who is a Year 5 pupil at Kents Hill Infant Academy, in Kents Hill Road, Benfleet, planned a fundraising Macmillan coffee morning to raise awareness of her brother Archie’s condition.

Archie, a Year 1 pupil at the school, is receiving treatment at Great Ormond Street and Southend Hospital, so his sister got everyone to wear bandages at the event.

She said: “I just saw the bandages and plasters Archie was wearing and all around me in the hospital. It gave me the idea that everyone could wear a bandage in support of him.”

Evie, from Thundersley, planned the fundraising event with her parents and headteacher Helen King. She donated all the money raised from wearing bandages directly to Great Ormond Street Hospital and the Neptune Ward at Southend Hospital.

A school spokesman said: “Children, staff and volunteers all rose to the challenge, with everything from head wounds to arm injuries being ‘treated’.

“It was a great discussion point during the coffee morning and raised £606.60 in total for the two charities.

“Great Ormond Street were so impressed with this unique idea that they sent a representative to congratulate the children and talk about the difference the money raised.

“Evie was able to proudly hand over the cheque. We were very fortunate that Archie was well enough to make this presentation with the support of his sister, dad and grandad.”

She added: “It was a brilliant opportunity for Archie to forget his treatment for a moment and enjoy being back with his class and friends at Kents Hill Infants. Evie and her family hope that this inspires more people to raise awareness and funds for GOSH, and Southend Hospital who were swift in detecting the disease.”