A BUCKLEY charity champion has been praised after raising hundreds of pounds for a good cause.

The Leader reported in June how six-year-old Seren Ellis from Buckley took on a cycling challenge after hearing about the concerns over Chester Zoo's future.

Seren's dad Chris said the zoo is his daughter's "absolute favourite attraction in the area" and she was prompted to do something following the launch of the Save Our Zoo campaign.

He said: "We talked about it and I suggested riding 50km to raise £500.

"She did it in ten days after starting and she has raised £840.

"Now she has had a certificate from Chester Zoo for raising the money, which I made a surprise for her. "She is very happy and proud and said once she realised she was doing it for the animals it was a lot easier to do. "We took her to the zoo a few weeks ago and she was very happy to see the baby elephants.

"I am very proud that she has been so strong minded and confident to get this done. "People have been very generous; all of our family and friends and the local community. "We would like to thank everyone who has helped."

Cllrs David and Carol Ellis, Seren's grandparents, said they are delighted at the achievement.

"We are very proud of Seren as she has visited the zoo since she was born and as soon as she found out that the zoo was struggling to keep the animals fed due to lock down she wanted to get out and raise some money to help feed the animals," said Cllr David Ellis.

"Both myself and Carol are very proud of Seren she is a very caring young child and never likes to leave anyone out. She always shares."