Christmas collection for sick children at Peterborough City Hospital - December 2015

Sixth Form students have lit up the faces and lives of ill children with a £400 toy bonanza.

They delivered an array of cuddly toys, dolls, books, blankets and other presents to youngsters aged 16 and under on the Amazon Ward and Jungle Assessment Unit at Peterborough City Hospital.

The cash was raised during a collection at the school throughout November and the presents then delivered by sixth form students and staff just before Christmas.

Deputy head girl Holly Hetherington instigated the collection.

“Realising that there were many children who may feel like they were far from people’s thoughts, we collected close to £400 worth of donations which was then used to buy anything from Frozen dolls, Lego sets and headphones to book sets and blankets."

Mrs Anderson said: “This was a wonderful idea from the sixth form team and one that generated an absolutely fantastic response, not just within the sixth form but from the whole school community.  It makes me incredibly proud to be head of a school where students and staff are so willing to participate and engage in helping the community around us.  It is also very humbling and I wish to say thank you and well done to everyone involved who really made to the children in hospital for Christmas and New Year.”

Zoe Wilkinson, play specialist coordinator at Peterborough City Hospital, said: “We are very grateful to the pupils from Spalding High School for helping us spread some cheer across Amazon Ward by their gift donations to our young patients.  The gifts allowed the children to forget about their illness which helped to brighten their hospital stay.”