An “inspirational” little girl who used to watch as the East Anglian Air Ambulance flew over her house has now raised hundreds of pounds for the medical charity.

Phoebe Hammond, who is eight-years-old, would see the air ambulance (EAAA) fly overhead from her bedroom window in the family home near Ipswich Hospital.

Last week she got to meet one of the paramedics up close when she presented a cheque for £500 to the EAAA.

Phoebe raised most of the money by running a stall at her school’s Christmas Fair with the help of her little brother Oscar.

After seeing the air ambulance fly overhead inquisitive Phoebe asked her parents what the helicopter did.

Her mother Suzanne looked the EAAA up. “We looked into it and we didn’t even know that they weren’t government funded and rely on charity work,” she said. “She seemed like she really wanted to help them out… After school every day she was planning what she was going to do.”

At first Phoebe began doing household chores in order to raise money. Then she asked her head teacher at Broke Hall Community Primary School, where Phoebe is in Year 3, if she could host a stall at the school’s Christmas Fair.

Her grandfather John Parker said: “She wanted to brain storm with us all and we said go with the ideas that are good at fundraising such as decorating biscuits, ‘how many sweets are in the jar?’, name the teddy bear.

“What was interesting was another thing she came up with which was such a good idea. She designed all these flags of countries in Europe and she had a big board with the countries’ names and they had to take four out of 10 flags and place them on the right country for 50p a go. That got so much attention.

“We just can’t believe the amount of money she raised. When we first heard her talking about it we thought maybe she would raise £50 or £60, but to raise £500 is fantastic.”

Suzanne said: “I’m just so proud, I really am. I’m just so glad that we’ve done it, I think she’s got so much experience from it.”

Phoebe handed a large cheque over to the EAAA during the school’s assembly last week.

Debbie McHugh, who is Year 3/4 Phase leader at the school, said the school were “very proud of her achievements” and added that she had, “set an excellent example to the other children”.

Helen Glenholmes, Fundraiser for East Anglian Air Ambulance, said: “We are so proud of Phoebe and Oscar and really appreciate everything they’ve done to help the charity.

“They are such an inspiration to us all in the office that we’ve put their letters to us on the wall as a reminder of how great they, and all of our supporters, are and what great things they help us achieve.

“We are looking forward to receiving their applications to be full time fundraisers with us when they leave school!”