A nurse-turned-author is celebrating the sale of her 1000th book.

Karina Meachin released her first children's book, The Little Humanitarian, at the end of last year.

It looks at the difficulties many people face due to war and poverty, with proceeds from the sales helping to support the work of Hope and Aid Direct, a UK-based charity delivering humanitarian aid to those in need.

Now, Macclesfield resident Karina is happy to report that she has sold her 1,000th copy.

She said: "Writing, publishing, and marketing this book has honestly been one of the hardest things I've ever done.

"With contributions from three artists, and input and support from publishers, child psychologists and educators, this has truly been a collaborative effort.

"Nobody was paid and every penny raised supports the continuing work of Hope and Aid Direct - both to those displaced by the war in Ukraine and locally where we support a women's refuge, rough sleepers and disadvantaged families".

1,000 copies of The Little Humanitarian have now been sold (Credit: Supplied)

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Karina previously worked at Macclesfield Hospital's intensive care unit before spending many years as an oncology clinical trials project manager at AstraZeneca.

She discovered Hope and Aid Direct shortly following her mother's death in 2016.

"My mother was a refugee from the Winter War and then the Continuation War, during which time a quarter of a million Finnish people lost their homes," Karina said.

"The situation was quite similar to what is happening in Ukraine now and to be honest I'm quite glad mum is not around to see what is happening as it would break her heart.

"The trauma of being a displaced person remained with her for the whole of her life.

"During her dying days in 2016, she saw refugees escaping the war in Syria and could really empathise with what they were going through."

In 2024, Hope and Aid Direct celebrated its 25th anniversary with a Christmas advent calendar, celebrating some of their achievements.

This inspired Karina to take these successes and turn them into a story for children.

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She said: "We thought it would be a great idea to turn the real experiences and achievements of Hope and Aid Direct into a children's storybook to help children understand how small acts of kindness can make such a difference to others in this rather troubled world."

Karina hopes the book can help children understand how small acts of kindness can make a big difference (Credit: Supplied)

The sale of the 1000th copy of The Little Humanitarian isn't the only milestone to note however.

Hope and Aid Direct recently sent its 100th articulated truck of humanitarian aid to a partner organisation in Ukraine, helping to support some of the 3.7 million people displaced by the ongoing conflict.

You can support their work by purchasing a copy of The Little Humanitarian for £5 here.