SADIE Clendenning (8) and her brother, Jack (6) from Fivemiletown used their creative minds to raise £1,135 for the Children’s Heartbeat Trust recently.

The children raised the funds by collecting old golf balls and reselling them to make some much needed money for the charity.

Their mother, Gillian, said that the children were out one day on the golf course in nearby Clogher Valley and their father Timothy found some lost golf balls, and it soon turned into a competition to see who could find the most.

Gillian explained: “They quickly wanted to out-do him and to see who could find the most, so it turned into a whole big competition.”

“Local golfer Paul Campbell was about on the course and came over to talk to the children about what they were doing, and he ended up saying he would buy some from them.”

She added this was when the whole idea of raising money for a local charity came about.

Gillian, who works for the charity Our Hearts Our Minds, said she looked online with the children to find a local children’s charity in Northern Ireland, and The Children’s Heartbeat Trust seemed the best fit due to it “being close to home and their hearts”.

The children collected up as many golf balls as they could find and were donated some more by neighbours Mervin McElwaine and Hazel Spear.

“They cleaned the golf balls up like new,” said their mother. “They then organised a Covid-friendly fundraising event from our very own garden.”

She continued: “They enjoyed every minute of the fundraising and are very much delighted with the results."

The Clendenning family would like to thank the generosity of the children’s school, Fivemiletown Primary School, as well as local businesses, neighbours and friends who spread the word of the children’s event.

Adding that her and her husband are "super proud" of their children, Gillian revealed : "They never dreamt they would raise as much money as they did."