A WELL-travelled rag doll has helped a teenager raise more than £2,500 for disabled children.

Hand-knitted nurse Millie has been clocking up the miles with 14-year-old Nicola Clarke to raise money for charity Newlife.

Friends and family are sponsoring Nicola for every mile that Millie travels from her home in Blackhill, near Consett.

Since March, Millie has visited Skegness, Doncaster and Scotland with her teenage companion and next week will call in to Bamburgh to add to the total.

A team of volunteers have created the individual knitted nurses for sale at £3 to raise money for the national charity, which provides specialist equipment for UK children with disabilities and terminal illness.

Nicola, a pupil at St Bede’s School in Lanchester, has been raising money for Newlife since 2012 and not only bought one of the dolls, but took it a step further by coming up with the idea for Millie’s Mission.

She said: "I chose to start Millie's mission as I believe that it will spread awareness both of Newlife and of my fundraising page on Facebook ‘Nicola’s fundraising corner’.

“It was something different and has proved to be a winner.”

With inspiration from a friend and wheelchair-user Merry James, Nicola started raising money at Blackhill Baptist Church for Newlife in August 2012 and has since organised a string of fund raising events which brought in £2,516 at the last count.

She has now become the youngest person ever to be honoured by Newlife in recognition of her hard work and determination.

Kevin Lowe, the charity’s national volunteer officer, said: “She is our youngest Volunteer Champion, but I think she is a shining example to people not only of her age but to everyone. She should be very proud of all she does."

To support Millie’s Mission please visit www.justgiving.com/fundraising/milliesmission

Anyone who wants to buy a doll can call Keleigh on 07973 473268 and anyone willing to volunteer to help knit more should call 01543 462777.