SCHOOLCHILDREN in Hartlepool have taken part in a campaign to help five local charities.

Pupils from six of the town's primary schools - St Bega's RC, St Helen's, Clavering, St John Vianney RC, Lynnfield and Stranton, collected unwanted items, including toys and clothes, and handed them to the charities as part of a scheme called Schools and Charities (Sacs).

The charities, Hartlepool and District Hospice, the Salvation Army, the RSPCA, Scope and the British Heart Foundation, will sell the donated goods to raise funds.

Keeley Metcalfe, Hartlepool Borough Council's community environmental action officer, said: "All of the schools did really well. Around 632kgs of goods were collected.

"Potentially, all of these unwanted items could have been thrown out and ended up being incinerated. Instead, they are effectively being recycled for use again.

"Through the Sacs scheme, we hope the children involved and their families have learned more about the work of the charities and now have a greater understanding of environmental issues and sustainability."