Powys primary school raises 'incredible' £8,000 for Ukraine

Every child in the school chose a sponsored activity to support the work carried out by the British Red Cross.

From danceathons to swimathons and much more, almost 300 pupils helped raise thousands of pounds on Friday, March 4.

"It was a very enjoyable day with everyone doing their bit to make a big difference to other people’s lives," said teacher David Edwards.

It all started when Years Five and Six felt that they "really wanted to do something to help". The class decided to organise the huge fundraiser after watching BBC children's news programme Newsround and discussing the tragic events unfolding in eastern Europe.

"Some decided on a football match, others a danceathon and others a swim during their class swimming time amongst many other activities," Mr Edwards said.

"They then needed to decide on the charity to give the donation to and, after some research, voted for the British Red Cross.

"The class also organised a raffle. They all donated prizes, made up hampers and went around the school selling tickets. This alone raised an amazing £250.

"All the children joined in to raise an incredible total of £8,026. It was a very enjoyable day with everyone doing their bit to make a big difference to other people’s lives."

Red Cross teams in Ukraine have distributed more than 90,000 food and hygiene parcels and provided food, warm clothes, and other aid to around 7,000 people sheltering in metro stations in the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv.

First aid training has also been delivered to more than 12,000 people taking cover in metro stations and bomb shelters.

In just a few days, more than 2.5 million people left Ukraine due to the conflict, with even more still are displaced from their homes within the country.

Red Cross teams in eight nearby and bordering countries including Poland, Moldova, Slovakia and Romania have been preparing to support people on arrival in each country.