A FUNDRAISING family from Yate have been a driving force in raising money for Bristol Children's Hospital.

Yate father and daughter Sarah Hitchings and Jerry Milner have been supporting the hospital's charity - the Grand Appeal - for the past seven years.

"We are heading towards the £20,000 mark raised for them, which we hope to do this year," said mum-of-three Sarah.

This Christmas saw the pair collecting trolleys full of toys, for the babies, children, young people and their families spending the festive season at the hospital.

"In December last year the Grand Appeal had posted on Facebook that they had an Amazon wish list for the children and their families.

"I just knew straight away that this would be something we could help with. 

"My dad, Jerry is one of the most kind hearted people I know, but when he said we could spend £300 I was overwhelmed.

"We could pick whatever items we wanted, so we just did a selection from premature baby clothes, DVDs, books, puzzles, games and gift sets. 

"I did not count how many gifts we gave, but our Tesco bill was £400-ish, which they then kindly discounted. 

"Then around 12 of my friends and family donated several items each. 
"We needed a large trolley at the hospital to move it all."

Sarah and dad Jerry Milner, who owns CAMB Machine Knives in Yate, are also sponsoring a decorated statue of Wallace, which will form part of the Gromit Unleashed 2 trail around Bristol and South Gloucestershire, from July 2 until September 2. 

"Having sponsored Sir Gromit of Bristol and Shaunus Romanus previously, we could not pass this opportunity to take part in such a great event, that not only attracts visitors into Bristol but also supports an outstanding charity.

"Dad chose Wallace because he looks amazing and, as he is sat on a bench in the statue, this will provide a perfect photo opportunity. Having sponsored Gromit previously, Wallace seemed the obvious choice to finish our iconic pair."