A hard working school girl put time and effort into raising a substantial sum of money for a hospital cancer ward and presented them with the cheque this week.

Jessica Herring who is just 14 has raised over a thousand pounds for the Oncology Ward at Romford’s Queens Hospital in Rom Valley Way after a flurry of charity fundraising projects which began back in October. The cheque was presented this Tuesday, December 13.

Jessica’s dad, David Herring said: “I am unbelievably impressed with what Jessica has achieved. She has materialised all of this off her own back and decided to do this without anyone telling her to do it.

“She would come home and I would ask what she had done during the day and she would say ‘Oh, I’ve had an interview about this.’ She acts all grown up. I am very proud.”

Her first project involved bag packing with a team of helpers on October 22 at the Waitrose store in Upminster over the weekend which raised �423.72 for the Lennox children’s cancer fund.

Days later, Jessica, from Upminster and her team arranged with a nurse at Queens Hospital’s Oncology ward to meet some children fighting cancer. They spent the day doing arts and crafts with the children who influenced her to do even more charity work and raise money.

The Hall Mead pupil also designed and sold badges with a Christmas angels logo and organised a talent show at her school on November 23, where roughly 200 people watched, raising a total of �500.

Her latest project she has worked on is a Christmas remix of ‘Winter Wonderland’ where she recorded around 130 children’s voices that will feature on the CD along with choirs from Engayne Primary school and Hall Mead Secondary school in Upminster.

She also raised �500 from a non-uniform day after persuading her Head Teacher to donate to her project Christmas Angels, bringing a grand total to �1455.72.

Jessica and her team member Ella Wazny visit the children’s Oncology ward every couple of weeks, and spend the day there getting to know more of the children each time.

David added: “I hope it will give the idea to other children to do something to help out as it shows what can be done if people make the effort.”

Jessica thanked friends Ella Wazny, Cassie Finch and Isabelle Pickard, for helping her to fundraise.