PUPILS at a York school raised more than £3,000 for local charity, Bereaved Children Support York.

Each year, the school adopt a local charity to support at Acomb Primary to help raise the profile of the good causes, and to teach the children the importance of charitable work.

Head Lee Haynes said: “It is an important part of our work to support local charities and teach the children about them.”

This year, Bereaved Children Support York was chosen as the charity to work with. The charity has supported many bereaved children across York for many years and have recently appointed an additional support worker to their team to work with children who have suffered the loss of a loved one.

With the effects of lockdowns and staying at home meaning lots of children have been less active, the school decided to hold a sponsored event to tackle the issue whilst supporting this good cause at the same time.

In June, the children all took part in a sponsored ‘Active Minutes’ week with a challenge to be as active as possible both in school and at home with sponsorship via their JustGiving Page.

Tom Dennis, the school’s PE Lead said: “It has been fantastic to see how engaged the children have been in raising money for our charity of the year. I have been so impressed by their dedication and the way in which they have risen to the challenge of being as active as possible. With the lockdowns across the country, clubs and activities were reduced and it has been really great to encourage children to get moving, improve both their physical and mental health, and to raise money at the same time.”

In total, the 316 children at the school clocked up 5,884 active minutes during the school week with many thousands more being added to the total at home.

Mr Haynes said: “This fundraising has exceeded all of our expectations, especially at a time when everyone has been under pressure. It makes me very proud to be part of the community of Acomb Primary School.”

Jo Cole, Trustee of Bereaved Children Support York said: “We are blown away by the support from Acomb Primary School. This money will help us to support children who have been bereaved more quickly.”