WHEN youngsters in the school forum at Mount House heard about the plight of some children of their own age in Guatemala, they decided to do something about it.

They enlisted the support of the art department teachers at the school, and set about designing and printing individual Christmas cards.

Once produced, the cards were sold to parents, family and friends, and £661 was raised. The money is helping to equip a new library in the boarding house being built just outside Guatemala City for the residential children who are looked after by the Fundacion Castillo de Amor.

Mount House teacher Suse Hammond, who, with her husband Jon co-ordinated the effort said: 'These children in Guatemala cannot live at home largely due to abuse and neglect, and they have been really moved at the thought of children from half way across the world caring enough to raise money to give them access to new books and educational materials.'

It was a great effort by all the children — May Forgan won the Caterpillar Cards' National Christmas Card competition, and with it an extra £50 for El Castillo, and Bertie Jayarajah was the top individual fundraiser with £75 from card sales.