(Pictured: Students (l-r); Michael, Kieron, Megan and Beth with teachers (l-r); Mrs Harrison, Mr Kearney, Salesian Provincial Fr Gerry Briody SDB

and Mr Bennett donating their latest cheque of £445 to with Laura Smith, community fundraiser at St Joseph's Hospice.)

Students and teachers from Savio Salesian College, in Bootle, have been dedicated to raising money for patients at St Joseph's Hospice, on one of the oldest hospices in the country, and have raised in the region of £5,000 since their fundraising began.

Students at the college have developed some innovative ways of fundraising for the hospice and they have even donated their own pocket-money to this very worthy cause.

An annual event in the school is the 'Reindeer Romp' which is held at Christmas time. All 500 students and teachers make a donation to the hospice before completing two laps of the school site wearing Reindeer antlers. Students love the combination of having fun while at the same time supporting the work of the hospice. The students also sold 250 St. Joseph's Hospice teddies and over 150 Light up a Life badges last term.

Mike Bennett, Associate Assistant Headteacher and Head of RE, explains why the school is dedicated to supporting and fundraising for the hospice: "Over 70 per cent of hospice patients are from the Bootle area and so most of our staff and students have a personal connection to the hospice.

The mission of the hospice's founder, Father O'Leary, has always struck a chord with our students and staff and the work of the hospice has become a cause that is very important to our whole school community.

Our Reindeer Romp has become a part of our school calendar and is very popular with all of our students. It's great fun and is the perfect way to raise money in the run up to Christmas."

Laura Smith, Community Fundraiser at St Joseph's Hospice, said: "We provide specialised end of life care for over 200 patients every year, as well as supporting their families, but we need to raise £6,500 every day to keep our services running so donations like this are vital.

We are so very grateful for the support we receive from Savio Salesian College and want to thank the students and teachers for their generosity."

Photos & text - Savio Salesian College & St Joseph's Hospice