A SEVEN-YEAR-OLD girl who slept under the stars has raised £500 for the NHS as it battles coronavirus.

Pictures of rainbows have become a common sight in the UK, offering hope at a dark time.

But after painting hers, Mariana Scougal decided she wanted the pot of gold for healthcare workers.

While everyone was snug in their beds, Mariana wrapped up warm and spent the night sleeping on her trampoline.

Her mum Cheryl told us: “Since lockdown, things like painting our rainbows has led to conversations about the NHS and what it is.

"I realised that I had been sadly remiss in not teaching her how we should not take our healthcare in this country for granted.

“We talked about what they do, and how the workers still have to go to work at the moment because of the virus, and how unsafe that is for them.

"I asked her if she wanted to do some fundraising to help buy things they need, and she was very enthusiastic.

"We thought of some ideas we could do at home, and decided on a sleep out.”

Together Mariana and her mum set up a JustGiving page, and the youngster set a target of the biggest number she could think of – which was £100.

Within 24 hours Mariana had smashed that total, said Cheryl.

“Our family and friends were amazing in their donations. She loved checking the number every morning, over the week.

"She would guess what it was before we looked. By the Friday night, when we slept out, it was sitting at £432.

And then the next morning it was up to £492 – and now, she has raised £510.”

The mother and daughter didn’t make it easy for themselves and took rough camping to a new level.

“We decided that getting the tent out was cheating, and it should be more difficult, so we would sleep on the trampoline in the open," said Cheryl.

The only light was the stars twinkling in the dark sky and the glow of a bedroom light tempting them back into the comfort and warmth of their home.

Cheryl explained: “Her biggest worry was the dark, we have no streetlights near us and live next to the forest, but we left the bedroom light on at the back of the house and took some lanterns outside.”

For mum Cheryl, braving the cold was the biggest challenge.

She said: “We had a duvet underneath us, about three layers of clothes on, sleeping bags, two blankets each and hats and gloves on.

"We went out at about 9pm, and Daddy brought us out Mariana’s favourite – hot chocolate with lots of marshmallows – then later on some cheese on toast to keep us going.”

When the clock struck midnight Mariana drifted off to sleep. “I woke her at 6am to go inside,” said Cheryl. “It was starting to get a bit damp and it was chilly, but we were well prepared, it was just our faces that got cold. According to the forecast, it was about 3/4° by 5am.

“We both loved staring at the stars – it was such a clear night.

We also heard the owls, and some kind of wildlife rustling in the undergrowth over the wall. The dawn chorus that woke me at 5am was less exciting!”

Mariana told the Peeblesshire News that sleeping outside was "amazing", and she loved the adventure.

And she scolded her Dad when he joked that he could buy lots of beer with the money, telling him “it was for the people helping the people with coronavirus”.

Cheryl added: “I'm so proud of her for overcoming her anxiety and enjoying the experience. Even more that we managed to contribute even just a little."

The global pandemic which forced Britain into lockdown will go down in history. For many it’ll be a time they would rather forget.

For Mariana, it’ll be memories of a night spent under the stars with her mum, when she proved herself to be a diamond for the NHS.