TEACHERS and pupils alike at Seend Primary School are to take part in a charity challenge in London to raise money for Diabetes UK after a pupil was diagnosed with the disease.

Despite the shock of being diagnosed with type 1 diabetes last year Rhys Lythell, 9, has not let that get him down and will, along with several class mates and teachers, head off to raise funds in the London Bridge Challenge.

Having so far raised £345 the team is well on its way to raising the £500 target before the event, for which they will have to walk 10 miles across 13 London bridges, in October this year.

Rhys’s mum Sian Lythell, of School Road, said: “He has really been great. He has not made any fuss and just got on with his life.

“It was the head teacher’s (Jackie Chalk) idea to do the walk as she was looking for a challenge to do and when she saw this was for diabetes we thought brilliant.

“Now we just want to get on with it and raise some money to possibly find a cure or a way to make the disease more manageable for those who have it.

“There was absolutely no history of diabetes in our family at all that is why it was such a shock when he was diagnosed.”

For those who would like to donate go to www.justgiving.com/teams/teamrhys.