Alice Bennett may only be nine, but already she is showing a strong sense of community and a drive to raise money for others less fortunate than herself.

The St Barnabas CE Primary school pupil found out about children's bereavement charity Noah's Ark Trust during an open day at Worcester Police Station and from then on decided she wanted to help.

"We have been talking about the trust a lot in my class and have seen some of the articles in the paper," said Alice, of Lime Avenue, Brickfields.

So far she has collected pennies in a jar and has persuaded many of her friends and family to donate money to the charity.

"I am thinking about doing a sale in my front garden selling toys and cakes, probably in the school holidays," she added.

"I want to raise as much money as I can.

"When I told my teacher I wanted to raise money for them she said it was a good idea. The school also has leaflets about Noah's Ark there so we all know about it."

Alice's mother Sharon, who suffers from Multiple Sclerosis, an inflammatory disease of the central nervous system, said she was proud of her daughter.

"When she thinks about doing something like this I can't stop her," she said.

"She loves doing it. Alice has seen me when I have been really ill. I can't always play with her when I am really bad but I tell her I will always be here for her as long as I can. I think that is one of the reasons she wants to raise money for them."

So far Alice has raised about £20 for the charity. Sue Smith, fund-raising manager at Noah's Ark, said: "Alice rang me to tell me how she had set about raising this sum of money by organising a competition at school. She is a delightful girl and a wonderful example of how anyone can support our work, however young or old they may be."

  • For our full coverage of the £1m Noah's Ark appeal, and for details on how to raise money or donate, click here.