SCHOOLCHILDREN across west Wiltshire are being asked to help out with a fundraising drive to celebrate the 150th birthday of the Wiltshire Times.

As part of the anniversary celebrations we are hoping to raise £20,000 this year to invest in a 150 Fund, so we can give financial support to small groups and organisations in west Wiltshire that need it most.

Asda has donated 5,000 tubes of Smarties, which we are planning to hand out to schools so children can fill them with change and help us meet this year's target.

Wiltshire Times commercial manager Louise Keenan said: "We have sent letters to all the schools in the area and I hope they will get involved.

"We appreciate that schools already have to do a lot of their own fundraising, and 10 per cent of what we raise will go straight back to each school.

"I hope the children will find it a fun and novel idea too and a way to have fun while raising money for their school and their community."

Asda is also planning to set up a photo display in its Trowbridge store of the schools that have taken part in the Smartie challenge.