SCHOOLCHILDREN have raised thousands of pounds for charity with an outdoor dance-a-thon.

Pupils at Brontë House School in Apperley Bridge raised £8,482 for the Leeds based children’s charity Zarach. Brontë House is the junior school of Woodhouse Grove.

Pupils and staff at the school participated in a day long dance-a-thon, with children aged from five to 11 dancing in socially distanced year group bubbles.

Zarach is a charity based in Leeds that aims to ensure all children have access to somewhere safe and comfortable to sleep with good, consistent access to healthy, nutritious food in order for them to succeed at school.The money raised by Brontë House will fund 60 beds and duvets for children in Leeds.

Headteacher Sarah Chatterton said: "At Brontë House, we believe it is important that our pupils are not only aware of others less fortunate than themselves but also that they feel that it is in their power to take action to make the world a better and fairer place. We fundraise for a variety of charities on a regular basis but Zarach’s ethos that 'well rested and well-fed children are increasingly ready to learn' and that 'engaging in education gives children the tools they need to break the cycle of poverty' is very close to our hearts.

"Our pupils took up the challenge of obtaining sponsors for the Dance-a-thon with great determination and their enthusiasm on the day did their sponsors proud. Who knew we had such movers and shakers in school."