SIXTY three piggies went to market on behalf of an impoverished African farming community last week.

The piggies - youngsters at Fishburn Primary School's early years unit with painted faces and wearing homemade pig masks - were on a cash crusade.

Youngsters made a donation to take part in a pig day at the school enjoying pig-themed activities such as baking pig-shaped biscuits and reading farmyard stories.

The classmates then used the £150 they raised to buy farm stock - a pig, chickens, 30 apple trees, a beehive and fishing net - for a family through the Send A Cow charity. Reception teacher Marion Storey said: "Our topic this term is farming and part of that work is to look further afield than the local area.

"We also encourage children to care about others and they had voiced concerns about children in Africa, because of recent Band Aid footage, and the tsunami.

"The pig day gave us a chance to learn about both and support a charity that will help communities where often a child has become the head of the family.

"Knowing what their money was going on certainly made it more real and inspired us."