Woodford Green pupils grabbed every opportunity to get dressed up by celebrating World Book Day and a Wild West evening.

A mix of Harry Potter, White Rabbit and James Bond outfits were on display at Bancroft’s School, High Road, Woodford Green, on Thursday, to show children’s love of reading.

On Saturday night, it was the turn of cowboys and Indian costumes for a western-style county fair at the school which raised over �5,000 for charity.

For World Book Day, all pupils took part in a workshop run by storytelling troupe Wizard Stories, who made up stories on the spot to satisfy the tastes of every year group.

Rebecca Wright, a year 3 pupil, said, “We made up a funny story about some of our teachers, with a few scary bits in there too.”

Parents and friends joined in the Wild West fun and competed to see who could stay on a Bucking Bronco ride the longest.

Pupils ran a variety of stalls, served “mocktails” and performed in a review which included line dancing.

For adults, there was a saloon with a professionally-run roulette table, blackjack and poker.

Proceeds will go to The Magical Taxi Tour, of Johnston Road, Chigwell, which takes sick children on once-in-a-lifetime trips to Disneyland, Paris; The Felix Fund, which supports bomb disposal experts and their families, and The Rifles Benevolent Trust.

The event was organised by the school’s East House.

Housemaster Richard Channer said: “The students who organised this fantastic evening worked incredibly hard to make it such a success.

“They showed great enthusiasm and dedication.

“We originally aimed to raise �3,000 but have far surpassed this figure.”