Sunderland boy sets up car wash to pay for flowers at grandmother's funeral

A seven-year-old has set up his own car wash after he wanted to raise money to pay for flowers at his grandmother's funeral.
Ashton Murray has won heaps of praise for launching his own car wash.Ashton Murray has won heaps of praise for launching his own car wash.
Ashton Murray has won heaps of praise for launching his own car wash.

When Ashton Murray woke up on Thursday he told his parents he wanted to set up a "truck wash" so he could buy a bouquet in memory of his nanna Brenda Husband, who earlier this month aged 61.

His parents Andy, 34, and Toni, 28, have helped him set up his venture by the side of Philadephia Lane near their Newbottle home, with a handmade sign offering £2 washes and the message "I'm seven."

Ashton Murray has set up his own car wash to raise funds.Ashton Murray has set up his own car wash to raise funds.
Ashton Murray has set up his own car wash to raise funds.
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They have persuaded him to keep his cash and save it up for something Brenda would have loved to see him enjoy rather than flowers and have been bowled over by the reaction of people passing by.

People online who have spotted the advert Ashton suggested his dad post on Facebook - after he became impatient no one had stopped in the first few moments of his business - have also sung his praises for his hardworking ways.

Andy, who works for Nissan, and Toni, a nursery nurse at Dubmire Nursery, say they are proud of the effort he has put in, with Ashton's brother Grayson, five, and his cousin Alfie Husband, eight, also pitching in to help.

The number of cars and scooters who have taken him up on his offer already stands at double figures, with tips in his cash bucket already helping him save up £100.

Ashton Murray's grandmother Brenda Husband, 61, who died earlier this month.Ashton Murray's grandmother Brenda Husband, 61, who died earlier this month.
Ashton Murray's grandmother Brenda Husband, 61, who died earlier this month.
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The family plan to run their car wash session until around 5pm today.

"He said he decided he wanted to do a truck wash, in his own words, so he could raise the money for some flowers for his nanna's funeral," said Andy.

"We've since persuaded him to change his mind and that Nanna wouldn't want him to waste it on flowers and that she would want to see him spend it on something he wanted.

"We've already got flowers all sorted out, but he wanted to do something on his own.

The Facebook advert set up by Ashton Murray's dad Andy to draw in customers to their car wash on Philadelphia Lane.The Facebook advert set up by Ashton Murray's dad Andy to draw in customers to their car wash on Philadelphia Lane.
The Facebook advert set up by Ashton Murray's dad Andy to draw in customers to their car wash on Philadelphia Lane.
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"We've been doing it for two days now and he's only seven, so it's great for someone that age to come up with something like this and do something for his own money.

"He made me put up an ad on Facebook when we didn't get any customers in the first 15 minutes and we've had hundreds and hundreds of comments from people, so he over the moon.

"We are definitely very proud of him.

"People have been saying you must be proud of him in the comments and I've replied saying 'absolutely' and we've been telling him we are - he's lush.

"People have been stopping and one woman, who had a big Mercedes, stopped by the car wash and gave him £10 and didn't even want her car washed."

A funeral for Brenda, who also lived in Newbottle, will be held on Tuesday.