Colchester pupils helped raise hundreds of pounds for charity with a film and pizza night. 

Youngsters at St Mary's School enjoyed hit movie Sing 2 along with snacks at the special event. 

Pupils aged four through to eleven took part raising £500 which will be donated to the Malala Fund and East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices.

The Malala fund aims to help every girl learn and lead, highlighting every girl’s right to 12 years of free and safe education.

East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices support families, caring for children and young people suffering from life-threatening conditions.

Their vital services include offering counseling to bereaved family members, as well as providing expert nursing and psychological, physical and emotional care

Emma Stanhope, head of St Mary’s Lower School, said: “Several thousand pounds in donations are raised every year by St Mary’s families.

“Our chosen Lower School charities for this year, the Malala Fund and EACH were proposed and voted for by the girls themselves.

“I am incredibly proud and grateful to the girls and their families for the support shown for all the charity activities we run at the school.”