A Sheppey girl has raised £920 for a horse riding centre after going silent for 24 hours.

Bella Durnford, 10, kept her lips locked last Tuesday in aid of Danley Marshes Riding Centre.

The youngster learnt how to ride at the Drove Road school in Minster and wants to help it generate lost funds from the Covid-19 pandemic after it was forced to cancel its riding lessons.

Bella keeps her horse at the stables and intends the cash to go towards buying food and bedding for the animals.

Mum Lucy Durnford said: “We’re so proud of her, she’s done amazingly.”

“The centre has been struggling since the pandemic started and she wanted to do her part as she hated the idea of the animals struggling.

“The place has been amazing with her and she’s known as a chatterbox anyway, so a sponsored silence was a great idea.

“She did really well with it and we’re amazed at how much was raised.

“Bella had a bit of a struggle around 3pm as she was getting bored but all her friends from the yard sent her messages and videos of support which perked her up.

“We practically played charades for 24 hours as it was much more than writing things down.We have been blown away by people’s generosity and support towards helping her.”

So far the youngster has raised £908 and you can donate at tinyurl.com/bellasilence.

Read more: All the latest news from Sheerness