Students at The Holgate Academy in Hucknall have been busy over this festive season collecting items in support of a local food bank.

Year 11 prefects at the academy came up with the idea for the food bank appeal and galvanised students in other year groups to take part and collect as much as they could to support families in the local community.

The donations were given to Engage which is based at Hucknall's Under One Roof Community Resource Centre on Vine Terrace.

As part of the appeal, students across the academy, which is situated on Hillcrest Drive, have collected over 650 items to be donated to the food bank. Year 7s collected 297 of the items, with one year 7 student even creating handmade bags of reindeer treats to be given out to families with small children, to go alongside her own donation.

Year 11 students, Olivia Brown and George Hemsley, coordinated the collections from 43 locations around the academy and arranged the delivery to the food bank last Friday (10 December).

Holgate teacher, Mrs McLaughlin, who leads the prefects said: "I am so proud of our prefect team who showed skills beyond their years in the organisation and management of the food bank appeal.

"I have collected for years with my form groups at The Holgate Academy, but it was inspiring to see the generosity of students' combined contributions and knowing the valuable impact that these donations will have on our community."

The prefects have also been collecting any Christmas jumpers that would fit age groups 10+ to enable anyone who doesn't have a jumper at home to participate in the school's Christmas Jumper Day, if they so wish.

The event was held today (Friday 17 December) in support of Save the Children.