CHARITABLE children have helped raise hundreds of pounds for charity by taking part in a sponsored silence.

The Holt School organised the fundraising event for Me2 Club and collected more than £1,100 to help disadvantaged young people with a range of additional needs.

Pupils from Year 7 to 10 were banned from using their mobile phones and agreed to use sign language and prompt cards to communicate with each other.

The school has a tradition of raising money for good causes and The Haberdashers House decided to help Me2 Club.

The charity supports children with needs by pairing them with a trained buddy and allowing them to take part in a recreational activity of their choice, such as Scouts and Brownies.

Liz McDaniel, Me2 Club’s fundraising development office, said: “We are very grateful for the student’s support.

"The tremendous amount raised means that they will be helping two children to attend their weekly activity for a whole year.

"I really appreciated the opportunity to thank them in person and to hear about all their inventive fundraising ideas.”

Me2 is celebrating 15 years of helping the community this year and recently held an open morning to mark the occasion.

Guests included Councillor John Kaiser, the Mayor of Wokingham, and John Binney from Easthampstead Rotary Club.

The event was also used to launch the new Me2 Club Volunteer Awards.

Children from The Holt School held a series of other fundraising events to help the charity, including cake sales and other sponsored events.

A spokesman for the school added: “The Holt School has a proud legacy of supporting charities and, through our very competitive house system, we choose to support various local initiatives.

"It has been a privilege to be able to support such a worthy cause and we hope we can inspire other young people around us to be community-minded.”

"Our target was £1000 and we were able to surpass that. All the money we have raised goes directly to the Me2 Club."