PUPILS at a Dorset school have raised more than £55,000 to for two charities and a special humanitarian mission for Ukraine.

Students at Bryanston School in Blandford fundraised the staggering amount through a charity weekend featuring sponsored personal challenges, a concert by bands and musicians, a lunch for friends and family, a fashion show, a dog show and a special dinner for pupils to raise money for Dorset wellbeing organisation Willdoes and international education charity United World Schools.

Dorset Echo: Bryanston pupils gathered together to prepare personal messages for Ukrainian children, picture: Bryanston School

A separate fundraising auction was also held for Ukraine and in total £55,100 was raised.

This has helped pay for more than 22 tonnes of medical kit, vast quantities of food, 100 plus sleeping bags and blankets, and 40,000 nappies, as well as a bulk supply of food for refugee welcome centres in Moldova and Slovakia.

“Raising so much money at such short notice for the people of Ukraine was a very challenging but also a very fulfilling project,” said the school’s head girl Esme Thomas who organised the annual charities weekend alongside head boy Spencer Davies.

“We’re over the moon that our efforts will do so much to help improve the lives of so many people."

Pupils have included personal messages in nearly 400 special fun packs for Ukrainian children, which have been sent on their way to the eastern European nation aboard two lorries full of humanitarian aid - one of which was cheered and waved off by students at the school.

Dorset Echo: Organisers of this year's Charities weekend at Bryanston, Head Boy Spencer Davies (left) and Head Girl Esme Thomas, on the catwalk of the fundraising Fashion Show, picture: Bryanston School

Head boy Spencer Davies added: “We’re indebted to the entire Bryanston community for everyone’s generosity and enthusiasm over the charities weekend.

“It really has been a case of everyone wanting to do something to help.”

Dr Hannah Fearnley, a teacher of classics and head of charities at Bryanston, said it is the highest total ever raised at their charities weekend and has been in awe of the determination shown by the head boy and girl.

She said: “The money raised will provide a real boost for Esme’s and Spencer’s chosen charities as well as those people in Ukraine who are enduring such terrible hardship.”

More than 12 pallets of aid were loaded onto the two lorries that are expected to arrive at the Ukrainian border on April 4 after the school acted as a hub for donations.