A talented girl from Welwyn Garden City has been making bracelets, key rings and hair scrunchies to raise money for the people of Ukraine.

Commonswood School pupil Ella Coy spent her Easter holidays making arts and crafts to sell to her friends and family, raising £91 for the British Red Cross’s Ukraine Crisis Appeal.

The nine-year-old decided to help Ukraine after seeing ‘boys and girls just like me’ fleeing the country after Russia’s invasion in late February.

“I saw on the news Russia was going to invade the Ukraine. Everyone at school was talking about it and then I saw videos of families leaving their homes on the TV,” she said.

“Boys and girls just like me were carrying all of their belongings and even their pets in bags and suitcases.

“I felt really sorry for them and wanted to try to do something nice. I hope that some of the money that I donated to the Red Cross could help refugees to stay safe and warm.”

Welwyn Hatfield Times: Ella made bracelets and scrunchies to sell to friends and family.Ella made bracelets and scrunchies to sell to friends and family. (Image: Hannah Coy)

This wasn’t the first time Ella has raised money for charity, with the youngster having her hair cut and donated to the Little Princess Foundation to make wigs for children.

Despite spending most of her school holiday making the items, she was proud of her efforts and plans to continue her support for Ukraine in the future.

“The bracelets and the keyrings looked great but actually took a long time to make,” she said.

“The scrunchies were much quicker to make because I could use my sewing machine. They were really popular so I’m very proud of those.

“Most of the people that bought things were my age so I’d probably like to make something again that looks good but is also handy - maybe a drawstring bag for everyone’s school PE kits.”

Ella’s mum, Hannah Coy, was bursting with pride at her daughter’s efforts, and admitted she’d been inspired by Sir Captain Tom Moore’s NHS fundraising during lockdown.

“Ella has always been incredibly hard working and creative,” she said.

“She loves a project and is always looking to do something nice for other people.

“Watching people such as Captain Sir Thomas Moore walk during lockdown and Max Woosey, the boy who camped for a year really inspired her.

“This project combined her favourite things which are crafting and helping others.”