Four-year-old girl joined ambulance picket line to do star jumps for her beloved ‘Gee-gee’

April Miller, from Hindley, has been performing 40 of the exercises a day every day in memory of two much-missed relatives including her great-grandmother Margaret King (known affectionately as Gee-gee) – this despite being unwell with tonsillitis at the start of the marathon.

She even joined a picket line of striking ambulance workers for one session, as both her mum and grandmother are frontline workers for the North West Ambulance Service.

Her fundraising page for Wigan and Leigh Hospice now stands at more than £400 since she started the jumps.

The hospice launched the 40 star jumps a day in February fund-raising challenge to mark 40 years since the charity opened its doors.

April's grandmother Bernadette Miller said: "April lost her great-grandma and auntie (Janet Walker) to cancer in 2019 and 2020.

"The hospice looked after her 'Gee-gee' for a few weeks and April, although only 11 months at the time, used to toddle into the rooms making everyone smile.

"Her mum Laura Miller saw the star jumps for the hospice campaign and was discussing it with me when April said I want to do that so she was signed up!

"Despite having tonsillitis and being unwell at the start she was still adamant she was doing it! She even did her star jumps on the picket line at Wigan ambulance station. She's a very caring little girl."

Wigan and Leigh Hospice in Hindley provides palliative and end of life care to people living in their own homes, in various care settings and at their inpatient unit.