DETERMINED schoolgirls are starting their own charity to help the families of sick children cope with financial trouble.

Bobbie-Jean Cook is the 11-year-old sister of Sonny-Lee, aged two, who has spent the first years of his life fighting an incurable heart defect.

The schoolgirl and her kind-hearted aunt Destiny, aged 15, are doing all they can to help similar families deal with the strain of hospital visits and equipment costs.

When little Sonny-Lee was born eight weeks early, he weighed just 3lb 4oz.

He was born with rare hypoplastic right heart syndrome, an incurable condition leaving the right side of his heart underdeveloped and malformed.

He was whisked off to the neo-natal intensive care unit and later rushed to the Great Brompton Hospital, in London.

Mum Danell was recovering from surgery, but discharged herself from hospital and travelled to London the next day.

Since that fateful day in December 2016, Sonny-Lee has undergone several invasive operations.

After the latest round of surgery in October, the team at the Great Brompton fought furiously to revive the youngster twice.

“Really now it is just about buying him as much time as possible,” said Danell.

Throughout Sonny-Lee’s initial hospital stay, young Bobbie-Jean defied her years by being there to support her mother.

“I cannot describe how proud I am of these two girls,” said Danell.

“They’ve gone through so much, but they’ve been there for me too. I can cry to them and they say ‘you can do it, we’ve got this’.

The two youngsters are pupils at Colne Community School, where they have received “amazing” support from the staff.

Danell added: “The two girls are already sitting down and having their own meetings about things they can do.

“The school has backed them in any way they can.”

Sonny’s Army will run raffles and events to raise money to support families throughout a poorly child’s stay in hospital.

Danell is registering the charity with HMRC. Supporters can join the Sonny’s Army Facebook group.