Fareham school children bake more than 1,000 cakes to raise funds for British Red Cross work in Ukraine

Pupils at Wallisdean Junior School held the huge cake sale yesterday, raising more than £700 for the British Red Cross’s efforts to support those in need in wartorn Ukraine.

The idea for the sale came from the school’s Mini Military Club, made up of children whose parents are serving in the armed forces, with some facing redeployment in reaction to the crisis in eastern Europe.

With a theme of ‘peace and happiness’, more than 1,000 homemade cakes were brought in by pupils and parents to aid the sale, according to coordinating teacher Hannah Bowser.

The 27-year-old said: ‘We have a (more than 10) children whose parents are in the forces, and it was the children who wanted to raise money for Ukraine.

‘We came up with the idea of a bake sale to raise money – the club has never done a charity event like this before.

‘I was absolutely taken aback that they wanted to do something to this extent to help the people of Ukraine. And it’s really refreshing to see them put their ideas into real life.

The crisis in Ukraine has sparked an outpouring of support and donations from across the city, with residents handing in everything from nappies to body armour to support those fighting and fleeing due to the conflict.

For the school children to be able to make a contribution is ‘quite something’ for their self-esteem and their ambitions for the future, according to Ms Bowser.

The teacher, who has been at the school since 2017, said: ‘The pride on their faces yesterday made it all worth it.

‘I think they are quite astounded by the amount of money they have raised. Their small idea has turned into something big.’

It comes as the government launches its Homes for Ukraine scheme, allowing UK residents to offer accommodation to refugees fleeing the conflict.

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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