FIVE girls from Hempland Primary School have spent the day raising money for the humanitarian relief effort in Ukraine - by watching films!

The five Year 4 girls - Evelyn, Leena, Zoë, Edie and Isla - have been spending 12 hours today watching movies.

And already they have smashed through their target of raising £500 (later raised to £1,000) for UNICEF's Ukraine appeal.

At the time of writing, the amount pledged on their JustGiving page had already passed £1,900 - and was still rising fast.

As well as popular children's classics such as Wolfwalkers, My Neighbour Totoro, The Red Turtle, Moomins on the Riviera and A Town Called Panic, the films they have been watching have included some Ukrainian movies - among them Козаки ('Cossacks') and 'Zhyv Buv Pes' ('Once Upon A Dog').

UNICEF's Ukraine appeal is helping provide access to clean water and healthy food, as well as lifesaving supplies to support families and child protection services.

The girls said: "We are very concerned about the situation in Ukraine and want to help kids there.

"We are lucky in the UK and want children in Ukraine to be safe, to have access to clean water and food. Just think how hard it would be if YOU yourself were in that scary situation. Even a small donation can make a big difference."

Evelyn's proud dad Chris Bartlett said the girls' story had grabbed the attention of people from all over the country and even internationally. Even celebrities had been retweeting their story, he said - among them Simon Mayo, Sanjeev Bhaskar, Edith Bowman, Nora Twomey, Peter Bradshaw, Clarissa Loughrey and the Everyman Cinema.

He said: "We are incredibly proud of Evelyn, Leena, Zoë, Edie and Isla - they all have a strong moral compass. They knew they wanted to help in whatever way they could and that coming together they'd be a formidable fundraising team."

To make a donation, visit justgiving.com/fundraising/evelyn-bartlett1