Families supporting life-limited children have been given a boost by a Calne school.

St Margaret’s Preparatory School, Calne has chosen Julia’s House Children’s Hospice as its charity for the year and has already raised more than £1400.

The charity has just been given planning permission to open a new children’s hospice in Devizes and needs to raise money to pay for nurses, carers and general running costs. Julia’s House receives just six per cent of its funding from the Government and must raise nearly £5 million in 2016.

St Margaret’s started its fundraising just before Christmas with a red and green themed mufti day and a concert at Fairways Retirement Village in Chippenham.

Ian Wadley, the Julia’s House fundraising manager for Wiltshire said: ‘We are delighted that St Margaret’s has chosen us as its charity of the year.’ Community Fundraisers Liz Froud and Jan Burns visited the school last week to talk to the children about the work they do and how they support the families in their care.

The new hospice will not open until 2017 but the charity has already started working with families in Wiltshire and provides respite care in their own homes.

St Margaret’s Headmistress Karen Cordon said: ‘When we heard about the amazing work done by Julia’s House in Wiltshire we knew that our entire school community would work tirelessly to raise as much money as possible.’