Fairy cakes and wishes for charity

Eight-year-old Olivia Lowe from St Thomas C of E Primary School, Lydiate really is a star in the making after she and two friends, Isabella Watkin and Emily Barton, managed to fundraise an incredible £354 for ‘When you wish upon a Star’, a charity that makes sick children’s dreams come true.

“Olivia has shown empathy for others from an early age,” said Tracey Lowe, Olivia’s mother and a secondary school teacher. “Always asking questions about news related issues on the TV where other children have been involved.”

“This empathy and interest for other’s wellbeing sparked something in Olivia, something that her parents didn’t realise was serious until she returned home from school one day with the news that she’d asked the school’s headteacher, Mr Ward, about organising a charity cake sale and he’d agreed.”

This started the ball rolling and Olivia and her mother began looking into different charities, finally deciding on ‘When you wish upon a Star’; the reasons being that a past pupil of Tracey’s had been granted a ‘wish’ from the charity, and Olivia wanted to “put a smile” on the children’s faces.

The young entrepreneurs took it upon themselves to organised the event. Olivia contacted Costa Coffee and Morrisons for cake donations while Isabella and Emily designed posters advertising the sale. Mr Ward also chipped in, helping to publicise the event, and Olivia’s father managed to get a price match from Halifax Bank where he works.

All of this combined raised a whopping £354 and left Olivia feeling so delighted that “words can’t explain!” The girls are extremely proud of themselves, as they should be, and wanted to send the message out that “it’s important to think about other people who are in need.