This six-year-old girl spent Christmas Day handing out goodie bags to the homeless

<em>Kind-hearted Pearly Rose McGowan spent Christmas Day handing out soup and gifts to people sleeping rough on Christmas Day (Picture: SWNS)</em>
Kind-hearted Pearly Rose McGowan spent Christmas Day handing out soup and gifts to people sleeping rough on Christmas Day (Picture: SWNS)

When six-year-old Pearly Rose McGowan noticed a homeless man on her way home from the cinema on Christmas Eve, it inspired her to do something to help.

The next day, after she had opened her presents, the schoolgirl asked her granddad Martin, 57, if he would help her create goodie bags for rough sleepers.

Her grandma Ruth cooked some soup and the family included sandwiches, crisps, sweets, socks, cigarettes and an envelope with £20 inside it.

The family, from Clydebank, West Dunbartonshire, then went and distributed four of the bags to homeless people in Glasgow.

<em>Pearly Rose McGowan and her family spent Christmas Day giving goodie bags to homeless people in Glasgow (Pictures: SWNS)</em>
Pearly Rose McGowan and her family spent Christmas Day giving goodie bags to homeless people in Glasgow (Pictures: SWNS)

Pearly Rose’s aunt, Teresa, 38, whose own 15-year-old daughter Michaela also went with them, said: “On Christmas day they all opened up their presents and noticed they had a lot of stuff. It was then that Pearly and my dad remembered the homeless guy from the previous night.

“So they came up with the idea to go out around Glasgow giving the homeless these bags.

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“My dad has always been a giver so I think his kindness has started to rub off onto Pearly and my daughter Michaela.

“Pearly went and opened up my Dad’s cupboard and took out his new jumper which still had a tag on it. My mum made the soup and we just got everything else together.”

<em>Pearly Rose McGowan was inspired to donate the goodie bags after seeing a rough sleeper on Christmas Eve (Picture: SWNS)</em>
Pearly Rose McGowan was inspired to donate the goodie bags after seeing a rough sleeper on Christmas Eve (Picture: SWNS)

The family travelled to Glasgow City Centre looking for people to help.

“They went around the city centre and told us that one of the guys that received the bags was crying saying ‘you don’t know what this means’,” added Teresa.

“It was just so lovely to hear, Pearly says she wanted to do it because she wanted them to have something for Christmas.

“It’s just amazing because at six-years-old or when you are 15-years-old you just think of yourself.

“But not Pearly, she decided to think of others before herself and that’s exactly what she’s like. I’m just proud of them all.”