Children at The Mead Community Primary School near Trowbridge have joined forces to amass more than 100 shoeboxes for the Operation Christmas Child appeal.

The school’s Wingfield base managed to collect 68 wrapped shoeboxes filled with gifts for underpriviliged children, while the rest were collected at the school’s base in Hilperton.

Dragonflies class teacher Lucy O’Leary, said the children at the Mead at Wingfield, the former Wingfield Primary School which amalgamated with The Mead earlier this year, were set the challenge of collecting boxes, which when stacked up, were taller than teacher Richard Onyett, who is 6ft 2ins.

She said: “The shoebox appeal was a massive success with 68 boxes being collected.

“The pupils have done really well to complete the challenge. Their boxes really will make a big difference.”

Five children from the Banfield family - Willow, nine, Ebony, eight, Elana, seven, Rowan, five, and Lyndon, four - were among the children taking part in the appeal for the first time.

Their mother, Debbie Banfield, said “The children created the Christmas boxes themselves because they wanted to give a gift to another child.

“I feel it is important that my children realise that some children go without gifts at Christmas.

“It doesn’t cost very much to fill a shoebox, but it makes a child smile at Christmas.”

Operation Christmas Child volunteer Judith Whalley, said anybody who wanted to send in a box needs to do it as soon as possible to reach underprivileged children in Europe and Africa.

“We have already sent a lorry off to Liberia and another to Serbia with almost 10,000 boxes on it,” she said.

“We will send off another two this week and the drop-off date has ended now. We are still collecting boxes, but we need them as soon as possible if they want them to get to the children for Christmas.”

The team, who are working out of a depot on the Bowerhill Industrial Estate near Melksham, are more than half way through shipping out the 22,000 shoeboxes collected so far.

If anybody would like more information about dropping off the boxes call 07966 135638 or you can drop the boxes off at Unit 12, Hercules Way, Bowerhill Industrial Estate, Melksham.