Girl raises money for homelessness charity with cake sale

A SCHOOLGIRL from Sonning Common raised £321 for a homelessness charity.

Lil Smithers, 10, of Ashford Avenue, held a cake sale at the village primary school in Grove Road in aid of Launchpad Reading.

She was inspired to help after seeing people sleeping rough in Reading and London.

Scores of fellow pupils crowded into the playground after school to buy the homemade cakes. Lil was helped by her friend Kayla Bishop who got her family to bake extra cakes.

Her mother Sunny Smithers said: “It was something she had been talking about since last term when we went up to London and realised what a bad problem it is there.

“She saw Reading had a bad problem too and was wondering what homeless people do when it’s cold outside and we can go home. She realised they didn’t have anywhere to go so she wanted to help.”

Miss Smithers took Lil, her partner Tom Ellery and her other children, Tia, 14, Carter, nine, and Poppy, three, to Launchpad’s base in Reading and representatives from the charity visited the school and gave a talk at assembly about homelessness.

Miss Smithers said: “When we went to visit them we asked about what we could do to help and increase awareness.

“The assembly helped to make the children aware of the problem.”

She added: “Lil just wanted to do something to help. The family are very proud of her and how well she has done. It’s been a team effort with her sisters and her brother. It has been a family thing and they have all done really well.”

To donate, visit www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Sunny-Smithers