A TOYOTA Yaris has been donated to a charity which delivers toys to children receiving treatment in hospital from an anonymous family in Warminster.

Louie’s Smiles, based in Chitterne, was set up by the family of Louie Coldwell who died in 2012 at the age of 10, after losing a brave battle with a rare form of cancer.

Following his death, his family set up the charity to spread Louie’s famous smile to hospitals in which he was a patient during his treatment, by delivering toys and books to children’s wards.

The non-profit charity relies on car transportation to take the toys to the hospitals, so when a family from Warminster told founder Joanne Booth that they wanted to donate their late mother’s Toyota Yaris to them, she was overwhelmed.

She said: “I was in complete shock when I heard they wanted to donate their car to us, it was such a lovely gesture and the timing was amazing.

“The little car I had been using to take toys to hospitals had just failed its MOT, so I was asking people if they knew anyone selling a car when the family got in touch.

“I was stunned at their genorosity. It feels quite odd driving the car around, I still can’t believe it’s ours. It means we can take even more toys to children receiving treatment.

“It’s so amazing when we see the reaction of the kids who have just received new toys and spurs us on to keep doing it.

"The hospitals that cared for us were amazing and still are, they have supported us even after Louie passed away and all the families at the hospitals have become like a big family, supporting each other.

“We just wanted to be a part of supporting them because sadly there seems to be so many children fighting cancer and other illnesses.

“We may not be able to help in a huge way but Louie’s Smiles is a good start.

“We would like to thank everyone who continues to support what we do, it really means a lot.”

Following Louie’s diagnosis, he received treatment in the Sarum Ward in Salisbury District Hospital and the G4 Ward and Piam Brown wards in Southampton General Hospital, where he was hugely popular with staff.

Louie’s Smiles, the word smiles standing for ‘Sharing Memories In Louie's Everlasting Smile’, delivers toys to these wards on a monthly basis, and plans to expand to reach more wards in the future with toys and books.

A full MOT was carried out on the car free of charge by Simon Holman from Heytesbury MOT and Service Centre, as a gesture of kindness towards the charity.

For more information, visit www.louies-smiles.com