A SCHOOL in Yate has come up with a novel idea to collect money for the tsunami disaster fund.

Pupils at Abbotswood Primary School hope to collect enough 50p coins to go around the circumference of both school halls and the adjoining corridor.

Headteacher Lisa Kilinski(CORR) told to the Gazette: "The children are very excited about this project and have been busily collecting their 50 pences. We thought it would be a great way of raising money for the tsunami appeal and the children have also been using their skills to calculate how many coins they need to fill the two halls and the corridor."

Pupils have estimated they need 5,000 coins to complete the project, which will amount to a total of £2,500 for the appeal.

The fundraiser, which was launched last Thursday, has already raised £210.

However, Mrs Kilinski is appealing to the public to support the challenge.

She said: "There are only so may coins the children can give and we would like to get as many coins as possible to complete the challenge. We would like to finish our line so that we can send our money out to those who need it as soon as possible."

It is estimated that more than £76 million has been donated by the British public towards the disaster fund. But charities are urging people to think long term and to continue to support the fund during the next couple of months.