How a Bucklebury watermelon started demand for 7-year-old's cards for special needs charities
A seven-year-old who put her creativity to good use over the summer found her designs proved so popular, they have been made into cards that are being sold by a Woolhampton shop to raise money for two charities close to her heart.
Amelie Turnbull had been watercolour painting during the school holidays and the art was so beautiful she started selling them through her mother Facebook page. They proved so popular her family quickly realised they should print them as cards to sell and ‘Little Amelie Art’ was born.
Her mother Davina Turnbull said that Amelie's first ever card, the watermelon, was created while Amelie's grandparents were looking after her and her brothers for the afternoon in Bucklebury.
Miss Turnbull said: “Amelie has two brothers, Harry and George. George is 14-years-old, and has complex disabilities due to a brain abnormality. Amelie decided to donate 50 per cent of the profits from her card sales to Camp Mohawk and The Music Club - both local charities who support our family hugely due to George’s needs.”
Camp Mohawk is a multi-functional day centre for children with special needs and their families, set in five acres of beautiful countryside, just outside Wargrave. Throughout the year the centre provides a range of activities, facilities and natural space to encourage children with a variety of special needs to play, socialise and learn in a secure and caring environment.
The Music Club is an afterschool/out of school activity for children and young people with disabilities and additional needs. It provides a short break activity using music and movement to bring fun, play and leisure for disabled children and young people and their families who may be at risk of social isolation and social exclusion.
Since the cards recently arrived they have been selling in huge numbers, gaining immense support. The cards, priced £3, are now being stocked in The Corner Shop in Woolhampton.
They are eco-friendly, printed on 100 per cent recycled card with biodegradable packaging. The shop has a selection of her designs including the very popular snowman Christmas card which is already being reprinted as it’s sold out a within a week of the cards launching.
Within two days, Amelie, who lives in Caversham, had 550 likes on a Caversham Gossip Girls Facebook post and hundreds more on other social media sites, attracting very positive comments such as ‘will definitely make my way to the shop to purchase some. My son had wonderful days at Camp Mohawk’, showing support for the charities on the area.
