Girl's 1,000 cards from across globe

JUMPING for joy ...Keira-Louise Arnold with her postcard collection

1 More Image(s) In Gallery

MORE than 1,000 postcards from around the globe have helped one caring girl raise awareness and funds for Dr Kershaw's Hospice.

Keira-Louise Arnold, from Derker, appealed for people to send her postcards after her grandmother promised her £100 to donate to the Royton hospice if she received 1,000 before the end of June.

The eight-year-old was determined to help the hospice after it cared for her father, Stephen Greaves, who had stomach cancer.

He died in September 2012, aged just 28.

With the help of her mum Stacey, Keira launched her appeal on Facebook and it soon went viral, with the story picked up by the Oldham Chronicle and Dr Kershaw's, as well as local radio.

Soon the postcards came flooding in to her school, Stoneleigh Academy, from across the UK and as far away as Thailand, the US, Canada and New Zealand, including one package from Hocking Primary School in Western Australia, which sent 40 cards, one from each child in its Year 6 class.

Keira's grandmother, Julie Smith, said: "It was a lovely gesture and there were lots of special messages to Keira on each card.

"A lot of the postcards had beautiful messages of support, some with condolences and an awful lot where people themselves knew of somebody who had been taken care of at Dr Kershaw's and each card filled with praise and congratulations on what Keira was doing.

"Some days Keira would come home from school a little deflated as she hadn't received any postcards but this would be quickly followed up with her running out of the classroom with bundles of postcards that had been delivered. The biggest amount received in one day was 327."

With just days to go, Keira needed a few more postcards to reach her total and was worried she wouldn't reach the 1000 target. Julie added: "She was so close but so far away and said: 'Grandma, do you think I will manage to do this?' The very next day I was given some more postcards and this took her total to 1,001.

"I went to meet Keira at school and I smiled at her and held a piece of card up which simply said: "You have 1001 postcards."

"The picture on her face is one I will never forget. She jumped up and down screaming: "I've done it, I've done it."

To date Keira has received 1045 postcards and, despite never asking for cash donations, has do far raised £385 for Dr Kershaws. Keira said: "I am shocked, happy and amazed that everybody has been so kind to me."