PUPILS, staff and parents at a Chester school have donated food, jumpers and money to help those in need.

As Christmas time approaches, students, staff and parents at The Queen’s School in Chester have been busy raising money and donating food and jumpers to help people in need over the festive season.

Over the last three weeks, there have been a variety of events across the Lower and Senior School raising money for several different charities, with many led by the student-run Charity Committee.

Three foodbank donations have been made in the last three weeks – the first at the end of November to Crossroads Community Hub in Newton. The volunteers at the centre were extremely grateful for the kind donations to the food bank.

The Lower and Senior School then completed another food collection, this time for West Cheshire Foodbank, filling over 10 large trolleys with essential foods and Christmas treats for families in need this Christmas.

The Charity Committee has been selling candy canes across raising almost £220 for Chester Aid To the Homeless.

The Lower School raised over £235 for the Countess of Chester Blue Skies appeal following an Inter-House Enterprise event last week, where the pupils created, marketed and sold products at their own Christmas Fayre, as well as a Christmas jumper day.

The Senior School ‘wear a jumper, donate a jumper’ campaign resulted in money and over 100 jumpers being given to ‘Share Chester’ to help keep homeless people warm this winter.

Chair of trustees at Share Rachael Lamsley said: "We cannot thank The Queen's School enough for the generous donation of jumpers and the money they raised on 'wear a jumper, donate a jumper' day. The last couple of years have been incredibly hard for our friends who are homeless.

"However, thanks to wonderful support, just like this, we have been able to continue to deliver our services to those that need it most. Share relies almost entirely on community donations, fundraising, and support and so it is efforts such as this that really make a difference to those in need."

Headmistress Sue Wallace Woodroffe said: "Fundraising, kindness and thinking of others is something I am proud to say our students regularly, not only get involved in but actually lead themselves.

"As a charity, we take our community responsibility seriously and want to do all we can to help those in need. I want to thank our parents and pupils for supporting these valuable fundraising campaigns which mean so much to the charities and people they serve."