A group of teenagers spent last week hosting fun events during their lunch time to raise hundreds of pounds for charity.

The youngsters from Birkbeck House at Valentines High School, Cranbrook Road, Gants Hill, managed to raise £541.70 for national charity Cancer Research UK.

Activities included sumo wrestling, sponge the teacher, penalty shoot outs, guessing the name of a stuffed toy and Fifa computer game competitions.

Lisa Shelley, assistant head of Birkbeck House said: “Perry Lynch, head of Birkbeck, was a popular choice for many of the Valentines students when it came to throwing the sponge.

“He took it all with good humour even dressing up for the occasion.

“Many of the staff and students at Valentines have friends or family members that have suffered from cancer and were very generous with both their time and money.”

The fun activities were spread over the week with some games costing between 50 pence and £1 to take part.

Mrs Shelley added: “A massive thank you to Lulu Mohamed [Birckbeck’s head girl] and the senior Birkbeck team, for all their hard work and enthusiasm.”