A six-year-old girl sold her beloved collection of cuddly toys at the weekend – to raise cash for a children’s charity.

Ipswich Star: Ryan, 9, and Layla Aldous, 6, raised money for EACH by selling their stuffed animals at Ipswich Model Engineering Society open day.Ryan, 9, and Layla Aldous, 6, raised money for EACH by selling their stuffed animals at Ipswich Model Engineering Society open day.

A six-year-old girl sold her beloved collection of cuddly toys at the weekend – to raise cash for a children’s charity.

Layla Aldous, who lives with her parents in Ipswich, sold her teddies while giving the Ipswich Model Engineering Society a helping hand on Sunday, at a special open day held in support of East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH).

Little Layla is the grand-daughter of society member Dave Sharman.

As soon as she heard about the open day, which raised nearly £1,000 for the charity, she decided to sell her entire collection of cuddly toys, including a range of teddy bears, to help children living with terminal illnesses.

Selling them alongside her brother Ryan, who is nine, Layla gave away nearly 60 teddies as part of a tombola.

Their mother, Debbie Aldous, said: “I was so proud of them – they ran their own tombola all on their own.

“Their grandad is an active member of the society, and they were too young to run a stall.

“It was all their idea – they wanted to do something to help others, and I’m really glad they managed to sell them all.

“As a family we attend many of the society’s events, and myself and my sister also ran a stall, which contributed towards the total.

“Ryan and Layla had a great time and they’ve said they won’t miss their teddies too much - they know they are going to children who will look after them.”

The pair raised £26.80 for EACH with their teddies, while the open day, which included train rides, a barbecue and a bouncy castle, raised nearly £1,000.

“I think the amount of teddies was closer to 60 – they’d collected quite a few over the years,” Ms Aldous added.

Chairman of the society, Mark Dearman, said he was grateful for the siblings’ help.

“Layla and Ryan were excellent and really helped us to raise more money.

“We were really impressed with their attitude – it’s hard for children to part with toys they love, but Layla was insistent EACH was a worthy cause and knew they were going to a good home.

“Dave was also a really proud grandad – they’re certainly following in their family’s footsteps when it comes to helping others.”