SEVEN-year-old Hugo Elliott has been raising cash for families in Turkey and Syria by selling painted stones.

Hugo stood for four hours in Hexham, near Market Place, selling 15 painted stones that he found on a beach and raised £533 for UNICEF.

His dad Sean said Hugo came up with the idea after hearing about the devastating earthquake.

Sean said: "It was Saturday afternoon and I was with Hugo and his little brother. I asked him what he wanted to do. He immediately said he wanted to go to the beach to collect some stones to paint them and then sell them to raise money for families in Turkey and Syria.

"He has always been in tune with what is happening around the world but it was so nice to see him wanting to help others. 

"After getting the stones from the beach, the next day we came into Hexham to sell them.

"We went to the park at the bandstand first but it wasn't working so well, as not many people knew what he was doing, so he told me we should try the centre of town.

"A few people passed him not understanding what was going on, but a few came closer to ask him what he was doing - so he explained to them and sold his stones.

"We even had a QR code behind him for the gofundme page, as I told him that not many people carried cash anymore. Nothing was going to stop him.

"I watched him for four hours, while trying to entertain his younger brother, and I was very proud of him as he sold all the stones."

Another surprise for the family was how much Hugo had raised.

Sean added: "We set his first target at £100 but I did try to tell him that his idea might not raise that much money and that any money - even £10 - was good.

"But when we looked at the page and saw we had raised over £300 - we were very shocked."

If you would like to donate please follow this link https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/hugosthinkingstones?fbclid=IwAR1_uRNo_5D44CnVdU0JfVmswCfAYga9XHgJIbJJAMN6x14IhlNB7natO_M