PUPILS at a Weymouth school are sending Christmas presents to children in need.

Beechcroft St Paul’s Primary School, Corporation Road, Weymouth, has collected 40 shoeboxes filled with gifts that will be sent to underprivileged children across the world.

The donations are part of the Samaritans’ Purse Operation Christmas Child project, which runs every year.

Craig Holloway, assistant headteacher, said: “We have been part of the shoebox appeal for five or six years.

“We think it’s really important that we teach our children about giving and charity.

“These boxes go all over the world, from one child to another.”

The children decide what they want to put in the boxes and go on a shopping trip with their parents to get the items.

Each child packs and decorates their own box and then the school pays for it to be posted out.

“In some of the boxes the children might write a little note saying hello with a photograph of them,” said Mr Holloway. “The children get a list of stuff they’re allowed to put in.

“We have awareness of global issues and this is one of the ways that children can contribute to helping.”

Some of the items in the boxes this year include teddy bears, toothpaste, tooth brushes, hair clips, crayons and erasers.

“There’s a lot of love going in to these boxes too,” said the assistant head. “Our children live in a very materialistic world and this activity allows them to think of others rather than themselves.

“I do it with my own children and it’s lots of fun. The children really enjoy doing it and it makes them feel positive about themselves as well.”

Last year pupils at the school watched a video of children in other countries receiving the gifts from schools in the UK.

“It’s beautiful to see the smiles on the faces of the children that are receiving the presents,” he added.

“The pupils here actually recognised the boxes that they had given on the tape.”