Selfless sisters have helped raise more than £3,000 for a hospice looking after their terminally ill father.

Ava and Orla Brobyn have been selling accessories from a stall at St Margaret’s Prep School, in Gosfield, during their spare time throughout the last few months.

The sisters have been raising funds for St Clare Hospice ever since father Conor began receiving palliative care for a terminal brain tumour.

Ava, 11, and Orla, eight, have been selling items such as a wristbands and brooches along with the help of friends, Aimee, Oscar and Maya.

Pupils and staff at St Margaret’s have all got on board with the fundraising bid and have now helped the pair raise £3,062 Headteacher Callum Douglas also added a charity day and a Jolly Jumper event to the timetable to raise additional funds.

The girls’ mother, Kellie, said: “We were so touched by the generosity shown by staff, children and parents alike. The ongoing support given to us as a family by St Clare’s has been invaluable. “We feel truly supported from both a medical and emotional perspective, the staff are amazing and the services they provide help so many families, both patients and relatives.

“As Conor’s illness has progressed I think we all feel that we would be really lost without the support of the palliative team at the hospice.

“This kind of illness really does take both the patient and the whole family on the most horrendous of journeys – the kindness and support we have received from the hospice staff continues to get us through each day and we know this will be the case as long as we need it. “Thank you once again for supporting this charity which is very close to our hearts.”

A cheque from the girls, from Dunmow, was presented to representatives from St Clare Hospice who visited the school just before the Easter break.

Dani De’ath, from St Clare Hospice, said: “The support the school have given the girls is amazing and it is very clear it has certainly helped them through a very difficult time.”

The hospice is a charity which cares for hundreds of people across West Essex and the East Hertfordshire border.

It provides free support to adults with life-limiting illnesses, their families and carers.

For further information, visit stclarehospice.org.uk