BROTHER and sister Sam Walton, eight, and Flossie, six, from Holmes Chapel, have been out shopping for NHS staff with money they raised selling bookmarks.

They asked their parents if they could do something to raise money for the NHS after taking part in the first 8pm Show of Support Clap.

Flossie, who loves drawing, asked if she could make bookmarks and sell them at the end of their driveway, with Sam volunteering to laminate them using his laminator.

Every morning for two weeks they placed bookmarks at the end of the driveway, inviting a 50p donation for each one.

It caught the imagination of family and friends locally and as far away as Northumbria, with numerous orders placed and subsequently dispatched via Royal Mail.

Between them Sam and Flossie spent many hours producing the bookmarks, raising £60.

Having seen a post on Facebook about Co-op Member Pioneer Alison providing supplies to the NHS, the family contacted Alison, asking her to take the money and buy something for the NHS.

Alison said: “I had a much better idea; I contacted Lucy Taylor, who is our nurse who lives in the village, to ask what the staff at Leighton Hospital might like us to spend this very generous donation on, and we were given a shopping list.

“I arranged for Flossie and Sam to come to the Co-op on London Road with their parents before it opened on Sunday, handed them each a shopping list and a trolley, from a safe distance, and off they went collecting supplies of tea, coffee, hot chocolate, snacks, chocolates and hand cream.

“I added £15 to their pot of money, so they actually spent £75. They had to keep a track of the costs as they filled their trolleys to make sure they had enough money to pay.”

Flossie and Sam then paid for the shopping and packed it into crates ready to be delivered to Leighton Hospital.

Alison presented them each with a certificate to recognise their efforts, and a small bag of sweets to say thank you.

Alison said: “Both children are a real inspiration to all the children in the village.

“They worked hard, gave up lots of hours of their own free time and were able to show their appreciation of the NHS in a very practical way. I know this donation of goodies will make a huge difference to the staff working at Leighton Hospital.”