Pupils help save tsunami school

The school was devastated by the Boxing Day tsunami

Primary schoolchildren in Berkshire are to raise money to help rebuild a school in Sri Lanka destroyed by the tsunami.

Children from Vidunee school in Sri Lanka are to sing to pupils at Hawthorns Primary School in Wokingham in a live telephone link on Friday.

Pupils are holding sponsored events to raise at least £1,000 for the school in Balapitiya, south-west Sri Lanka.

Head teacher Stephen Hempson-Jones told BBC News: "The children were very moved by the whole idea."

The Sri Lankan pupils are going to sing in a live telephone link

Pupils are to be shown pictures of the school before and after it was devastated by the Boxing Day disaster.

Mr Hempson-Jones added: "We got in touch with the Sri Lankan school through the brother of the principal, who works as a chef in Winnersh and lives near one of our school secretaries.

"Our first fundraising event is a sponsored non-uniform day, but we think that will just be the start of things and are looking at more ways to twin up.

"It will mean a lot to the children to actually see what the school looks like now, what it looked like before tsunami and then how it looks when it has been rebuilt."

Hawthorns has 415 children aged between four and 11.