Help for Heroes: Young gardener, nine, raises funds with bumper crop of vegetables

And as a keen gardener, he used his green fingers to “grow” a pot of money for the charity that is helping his father David by using his love of gardening and plants in the fundraising exercise.

Cameron, of Northallerton, North Yorkshire, planted vegetable seeds on a windowsill, which grew into a bumper crop and sold out within days, raising £130 for Help for Heroes.

Pumpkins, beans, squash, peas and tomato plants went on sale for 50p each on the stall he set up with a handwritten poster in the front garden of his home – and the local community rallied to his cause and snapped them up.

Cameron’s mother Rachael said: “Every day Cameron came home from school, tending to his plants and checked how much he had raised.

“He even put in some money from his own moneybox. I explained to him that he didn't have to but he replied ‘But it's my money mummy and I want to help’.”

“We have been overwhelmed by how generous people have been and how much they have donated to a cause that means so much to us as a family. We have been blown away.”

Cameron’s father, David, who joined the Army at the age of 17, served with the Queen's Own Highlanders and was deployed on six tours to Northern Ireland and Iraq.

He was diagnosed with PTSD in 2019 as a result of what he had experienced in war zones and has benefited from specialist mental health counselling through Help for Heroes’ Hidden Wounds team.

Help for Heroes champions the Armed Forces community and helps them live well after service. The charity helps them, and their families, to recover and get on with their lives. It has already supported more than 32,000 people and its services include the Hidden Wounds team which helps those with mental health problems caused by what they may have seen during their service.

Cameron, a year four pupil at Alverton Community Primary School, has had his horticultural hobby nurtured by his teachers, especially Mrs Pringle, who gave him the pack of seeds that started his fruitful fundraiser. Rachael added: “We are so thankful to everyone who has supported us and we are so proud of Cameron who has enjoyed collecting for such an amazing cause.

“When David needed Help for Heroes they were there for him with counselling that is targeted at veterans as they understand what he has been through.

“Help for Heroes has given Cameron his daddy back. Without the support Help for Heroes has given to my husband, I am not sure if he would have made it through. I will be forever grateful.”