Pupils from Brookfield Community Primary School in Ribbleton have raised almost £3,000 to help Lancashire Teaching Hospital Charity’s Children’s Appeal reach its £1 million target to make Royal Preston Hospital better for young patients.

In their class bubbles, the Brookfield school’s entire register of 180 youngsters participated in their own ‘Race for Life’ by running repeat laps around the school’s football pitch sized sports field during PE class.

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Their collective effort raised an incredible £2,900 in sponsorship from family and friends.

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Sandra Hopkins, the school’s business manager whose daughter Lauren is a nursing sister on the Paediatric Assessment Unit, said: “We thought we might raise a couple of hundred pounds so to achieve a donation of this size is just fantastic and we are very grateful to everyone, who supported our children.

“It was the school council’s first fundraising event this year. We wanted to help people in the local community. The children suggested many brilliant charities so we held a vote. The hospital charity’s Children’s Appeal was the strong winner as many children spoke about their own experiences in the hospital and all of the children were extremely excited about the idea of raising money for their local hospital and helping children who are poorly.”

The aim of the Children’s Appeal, which to date has raised almost £40,000, is to make the children’s wards, outpatients and other paediatric treatment areas less scary for the 10,000 babies and young people annually, aged from one day to 19 years, who attend for check-ups and treatment.

The money will pay for a seaside themed decorative make-over, virtual sky ceiling panels, air conditioning, reclining chairs for parent sleep-overs, new lifts and hoists, a new mental health suite and play equipment to create a healing environment. It will also fund a parent break-out zone.

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