GENEROUS school pupils donated their spare change to bring some Christmas cheer to a children’s ward.

The youngsters from the newly-formed Oakridge Schools Federation, which combines Oakridge Infant and Junior Schools, worked together to raise funds for the ward at Basingstoke hospital.

But instead of donating the cash, the children bought arts and craft items for the ward, after staff informed the school that they were really in need of stationary items for their young patients.

Children held a pyjama day in November, when they donated £1 to wear their nightclothes and bring a teddy to school, as well as making a donation of pencils and colouring books.

In total, £337 was raised which was used to buy a large amount of art and craft items for the ward.

All the gifts were wrapped up and presented to staff from the children’s ward in December, during a school assembly.

Representatives from the Camrose Centre, which supports homeless people in the town, also came along to collect food and toiletries collected by the school community.

Katy Thompson, deputy headteacher, said: “It is wonderful the children wanted to make a difference to local people and were really keen to get involved. The generosity of our school community has been overwhelming and has made our festive campaigns such a success.”