A PRIMARY school is toasting success after raising £20,000 for Havens Hospices during two decades of fundraising activities.

Heycroft Primary School in Eastwood, which has been supporting the charity for 20 years, has tallied up its donations, including from recent fundraising events.

To mark the milestone, pupils aged between seven and 11 from the school visited the charity’s children’s hospice, Little Havens, in Thundersley, to learn about how the hospice cares for seriously ill children.

Two Year 6 pupils, Eli Langley and Francesca Hicks, took a donation of bath toys for the hospice with them. The youngsters had purchased the toys with money they raised by selling bracelets to their friends.

Year 3 pupils Flynn Conway and Aisling Walters presented a cheque for £25, which they raised with the help of friends Anna Aldridge and Freya Goldenberg, by holding a cake and toy sale for the school’s Foundation Year.

Year 3 pupils hosted a special assembly for their parents last Friday about the history and importance of dental hygiene.

After the assembly they sold cakes and fruit and asked for donations to Little Havens and raised a further £260.

Hilary Metcalfe, community fundraiser for Havens Hospices, said, “This is such a fantastic achievement from one of our local schools.

“Over the years, the children and staff at Heycroft school have been so enthusiastic about arranging fundraising events in support of their local hospices, and I am so pleased we’re now celebrating such a brilliant amount.

“I hope the children who visited Little Havens enjoyed finding out howsome of their donations are helping children with life-limiting illnesses, and they share this experience with their friends and family.

“We don’t charge a penny for our care and that simply wouldn’t be possible without continued support from schools like Heycroft.

“I would like to say a massive thank you from us all.”

Andrew Palmer, Heycroft headteacher, said “We are very proud of the children’s fundraising achievements and delighted to be supporting Havens Hospices.

“Our visits to Fair Havens and Little Havens have enabled them to understand how the money is used to provide support to their community.”