Watch as Washington seven-year-old collects and donates 150 Easter eggs to the homeless and children in need of some cheer

A seven-year-old girl from Washington is donating over 150 Easter eggs to Sunderland Royal Hospital's Children’s Ward and local charities after being inspired to help others after seeing people living homeless during a visit to Newcastle.

Annalise Lawton donated 35 chocolate eggs to Sunderland Community Soup Kitchen before also donating the same number of eggs to the children’s charity Love Amelia, set up in memory of a baby girl from Sunderland who tragically passed away minutes after her birth.

Not content, Annalise is in the process of collecting a further 80 Easter eggs to ensure children at Sunderland Royal Hospital - where her mother Laura works as a nurse - will have a nice chocolate surprise to wake up to on Easter Sunday.

She will be delivering the eggs on Easter Saturday evening alongside her mam. Any remaining eggs are to be donated to Peterlee Women’s Refuge on Easter Sunday.

Annalise, who attends St John Boste Primary School, said: “I went to Newcastle before Christmas and saw some homeless people. It made me upset and I wanted to help them and so I donated food to Sunderland Soup Kitchen to help them at Christmas.

“With Easter coming up I wanted to make sure everyone has an Easter egg to wake up to on Easter Sunday. I don’t like to think about children in the hospital not having a chocolate egg and so I wanted to do something to help.”  

Annalise purchased the first batch of eggs with her own pocket money and also went out on her pony to collect donations and eggs from people in her neighbourhood as well as getting donations from friends, family and teachers. 

The Selfless schoolgirl also wrote a letter to staff at Sunderland Royal Hospital who work on her mother’s ward asking for donations to ensure “all the boys and girls have an Easter egg to wake up to”.

Explaining the choice of organisations to receive donations, Annalise said: “My sister is called Amelia and I know the charity helps children and I wanted to help the hospital as well as I often go there to see my mam and I see all of the boys and girls on the ward.

“We contacted the Soup Kitchen and they said they have families they support who would like the eggs.”

Sunderland Community Soup Kitchen founder Andrea Bell said Annalise also donated some of her pocket money when she visited the venue to hand over the eggs.

She said: “These chocolate eggs will help to ensure everyone in the queue for food on Easter Sunday will get a chocolate treat.

“We can also use them to help local families in need. Our hearts absolutely burst when Annalise came to deliver the eggs. 

“My heart melts when you get children doing this sort of thing and showing how important it is to help others.”

Annalise’s mother, Laura, 30, said she is “unbelievably proud” of her daughter’s selfless actions.

She added: “Annalise always wants to help other people and she brings tears to my eyes when I think about what she is doing.

“She was born seven weeks premature and has her own health issues yet all she wants to do is help other people.

"I just wish we could all be a bit more like Annalise."

Annalise added: “I want to live in lovely world where everyone gets along and cares for each other.”