A young girl's 'amazing' gesture almost ended in tears thanks to a gust of freak wind.
Over the festive period, six-year-old Aminah El Haj Ahmed has raised hundreds of pounds for a cause close to her heart by running a market stall selling sensory toys in Flintshire, North Wales.
But the lovely gesture almost ended in tears when her mum accidently knocked over the takings, meaning some £600 in banknotes was blown into the air.
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This prompted a frantic scramble to rescue the money as it rained down on a Tesco Express car park, North Wales Live reports.
Her dad Richard originally suggested the venture as a way of raising money for a trip to Disneyland in Paris, but the selfless youngster insisted all proceeds should go to children less fortunate than herself.
Her enterprise, Poppy Poppits, made a flying start at the local Christmas Markets, but disaster struck as Aminah and her parents returned to their home in Connah's Quay, calling at a Tesco Express store on the way.
Dad Richard said: “I could hear the sounds of the coins hitting the floor. It just so happened that it was a particularly wet and windy evening and a gust took the notes into the air.
“The money was all over the place in literally seconds. Hannah and I were trying to step on the banknotes.
“We managed to save some but modern notes are so light and they were just flying around. We searched all over the car park, finding notes in puddles and under vehicles.
“All the time I was thinking about how much effort we had all put into the venture, the amount of money I had invested in buying stock.
“In the end we retrieved most of the money but about £180 was never found.”
Determined not to be beaten by their misfortune, the family pressed on with their fundraising and, by January 1, they hope to be closing in on their £1,000 target.
As a hedge against Covid curbs, an online Poppy Poppits store was opened on Facebook and the youngster also launched a separate crowdfunding appeal for the Make A Wish charity.
Already Aminah’s amazing efforts have been saluted by the headteacher at Wepre Primary, who singled out the youngster for praise at school assembly.
The Make a Wish Foundation makes dreams come true for children fighting life-threatening conditions.
The charity has sent Aminah badges, stickers and a letter of thanks for what’s she’s done, saying it was "blown away" by her "incredible generosity at the age of six".
Richard, 35, added: “The whole thing was her idea. I suggested raising money for a Disney trip but she said she wanted the money to go to poorly children for Christmas.
“We have brought her up to realise she is really lucky to have what she has, and that Christmas is not just about getting presents.
“Aminah has always been very kind but now all she wants to do is to help others.
“After Santa visited her on Christmas Day, she wanted to give away most of the things she received.”
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