SOUTH African school children received some life-changing news, thanks to the generousity of pupils of St John’s on-the-Hill School in Chepstow.

A huge total of a £3,500 has been raised for the Isikhokelo Primary School in the Khayelitsha township, in Cape Town.

The St John’s children worked incredibly hard to raise money for the school, which they visited on a recent three-week exchange trip to South Africa. They raised the money through a range of initiatives in the run-up to the trip, including a sponsored read-a-thon, triathlons and car boot sales. They also organised a dedicated charity day at school, where the children experienced a traditional African dance and drum workshop.

The South African Exchange has run for more than 14 years and is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for Year 7 children at St John’s. The children were taken on lots of amazing trips in Cape Town, including a trip to Table Mountain by cable car, a Segway tour in Stellenbosch, a trip to Cape Point, Ostrich Encounters and an educational visit to Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela was infamously held prisoner.