SCHOOL pupils in Yate have raised over £600 for Children In Need.

Children at St Mary’s school fundraised for the charity that provides for children across the UK and raised a total of £623.01.

The pupils took part in many activities as part of their fundraising events, including a sponsored silence, sports activities and wet sponge throwing. It was the first time they had fundraised for the charity and the whole school got involved as pupils were encouraged to place coins on a Pudsey bear, collecting £191.

Year five teacher Jo Begg said: “My class raised money in an Apprentice style way, I got the 28 students to split into groups and basically told them to come up with ideas and raise as much money as they could in three days.

“They had project managers in the groups and had support from their parents to make money. We even had an Alan Sugar mask for the Apprentice theme.

“Groups raised money in different ways, some did sporting activities like a run non-stop for 30 minutes, and another did a 45 minute intense circuit training.”

Pupils also made cakes to sell while others paid to throw wet sponges in other pupil’s faces.

Parents were invited to a class assembly at the end of the week to see how much the children had raised.

Miss Begg said: “It was amazing because the children made the money so independently, I sent them off to do it and I massively underestimated the amount of money they would raise. It’s such a big number, we will probably fundraise for Children in Need again next year.”

Children In Need raised a total of £32,620,469 on its official appeal night on Friday, November 14 to provide grants and projects in the UK for disadvantaged children.