A little girl with a big heart is bringing smiles to children in need this Christmas.

Nine-year-old Tilly Olsen has been making tiny air clay Christmas figurines to raise money for local charity Spare Ya Change For Kids.

The colourful characters are being sold at new café Confession in Mount Gambier’s main street – and Tilly has sold out numerous times, with customers ordering them in advance.

Already more than 100 have been sold, with 50 cents from each sale going to the children’s charity.

The team at Confession has also chipped in $100 to the cause – which made Tilly’s day. “Me and my little sister started selling them on our road and our nan was talking to Don Pratt (from Confession) and he said we could sell them there,” she said. “I thought we might sell 20 or so.

I started making snowmen and I thought if I made some Santa’s and reindeer that it would be a good thing to do. “It feels good raising money for other kids. I did not realise how many kids were out there with nothing.

“So I have been raising money for them and it makes me feel better.”

Tilly said she had spent hours making the tiny decorations and was hoping to spend some of her earnings on buying Christmas presents for her family.

“I will also make another donation to the charity,” she said. “I am very grateful to Don and his crew at Confession because they have always been so nice and welcoming and helped me.”