Portsmouth seamstress, 12, creates colourful cushions to raise funds for children's mental health charity YoungMinds

A YOUNG seamstress has put her skills to good use by creating colourful cushions to raise cash for mental health charities.

By Belinda Dickins

Published 4th Feb 2021, 16:43 BST

This article contains affiliate links. We may earn a small commission on items purchased through this article, but that does not affect our editorial judgement.

Watch more of our videos on Shots!
and live on Freeview channel 276

After testing out the sewing machine she got for Christmas, Rosie Niven from Buckland decided she wanted to design creations to give back to charity.

The 12-year-old was pleased with the gift from her nanny and grandad, and tried a few different designs before discovering she could make lovely cushions.

Rosie, a Mayfield School pupil, said: ‘I made a little carry bag first but wanted to try something new so my mum got me a sewing book and I tried out my first cushion.

Rosie Niven, 12 from Buckland, is creating colourful cushions to raise funds for children's mental health charities. Pictured: Rosie with some of her creations and, right, hard at work

Rosie Niven, 12 from Buckland, is creating colourful cushions to raise funds for children's mental health charities. Pictured: Rosie with some of her creations and, right, hard at work

‘My nan said she was really impressed with the neat stitching, so I thought I would make a few from the material I had and my dad said they looked good enough to buy.

‘I had a good idea to maybe try and sell them and raise some money for charity. I am donating £4 per cushion and they are £5 each. The other £1 is going towards the cost of the materials.’

Two new donkeys welcomed to Hayling Island Donkey Sanctuary as supporters encour...

Each cushion takes Rosie about half an hour to completely finish, and she takes great care to make sure the stitching is straight.

Some of the cushions Rosie has made so far

Some of the cushions Rosie has made so far

With more than 20 sold so far, Rosie is well on her way to raising her target of £200 for YoungMinds.

This will hopefully be followed by £200 for Place2Be which hosts children’s mental health awareness week.

Rosie said: ‘I decided to choose YoungMinds because it is a mental health charity for children.

‘I have used some of the things on their website myself and I just want other kids like me to feel like I do now so it is important that this charity can keep helping kids that maybe haven't got the support I already have.’

SEE ALSO: Emsworth man raises £10,000 in 6 months for struggling animal rescue shelters through new DoggyLottery

Proud parents Alex Niven and Vicky Hayes have been supporting Rosie’s efforts.

The pair told The News: ‘We are so proud of Rosie deciding to do this selfless thing during this pandemic.

‘We all find ourselves in lockdown for safety but sometimes struggling with what has faced us all in the last 11 months, so people should be able to reach out for help if they need it.’

To order a cushion from Rosie, visit facebook.com/vickyalex.hayesniven.1 to see the family’s public posts.

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

You can subscribe here for unlimited access to Portsmouth news online - as well as fewer adverts, access to our digital edition and mobile app.

Our trial offer starts at just £2 a month for the first two months.

Portsmouth Place2Be Mark Waldron You

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.