YOUNGSTERS and teachers held a pyjama party to raise cash for a children's charity

Staff and pupils at Tanfield Lea Junior School, near Stanley, paid a voluntary contribution to come in dressed in their night clothes. The event raised £317 for the NSPCC.

Kay Hemmings, headteacher, said: "The children choose three charities to support at the beginning of the year, then decide what event they would like to do. It gives them a sense of ownership and responsibility."

The school's 204 pupils, aged seven to 11, will be raising cash for the RSPCA next term, and carrying out a skipping challenge in aid of the British Heart Foundation in the summer.