Bickerstaffe CE Primary School pupil Isla Webster raises cash for Wombat Rise Sanctuary in Australia

Dec 3 2009 by Michael Byrne, Ormskirk Advertiser

Bickerstaffe CE Primary School pupil Isla Webster raises cash for Wombat Rise Sanctuary in Australia

BICKERSTAFFE animal lover Isla Webster has been raising cash to help furry friends on the other side of the world.

Isla, seven, described as ‘Wombat’ by her mother Linda, recently raised £92 to help the Wombat Rise Sanctuary in Adelaide, Australia.

She first became interested in wombats when her older brother Ross, 13, was watching a wildlife programme featuring the marsupials and said that Isla looked like a wombat.

The nickname stuck with the family and Isla started researching the animals on the internet, which lead to her finding the sanctuary.

Wombat Rise volunteers have dedicated themselves to looking after injured or orphaned wombats. Many of them are young and their mothers have been killed by motorists on the roads.

Isla made the money by baking biscuits and cakes and selling them at Bickerstaffe CE Primary School and outside the family home on Rainford Road. Her brother Matthew helped with the sale while other parents helped by baking biscuits and cakes.

Linda said: “I’m very proud of her as this is all her own idea. She stayed with me during the baking and stood outside in the cold weather for the sale.”