Families in need have got a boost thanks to a Weymouth primary school.

Representatives from St Andrew's C of E Primary School in Littlemoor Road presented a cheque for £188.71 to Weymouth Foodbank.

The money was raised through collections at the school in the run up to Christmas.

Amy Belcher, assistant headteacher said collection buckets were put out after each of the school's Christmas shows and services and parents, staff and members of the school community were asked to make "kind donations".

Mrs Belcher said the school decided to donate the money to the foodbank as it was a way of 'giving back to their community'.

"It's important for us to be helping people in our community who are struggling. Christmas is a time of food and celebration so we wanted to do our bit to make sure families didn't go without.

"We are trying to teach thinking of others instead of ourselves. We are a school made up of families so it is a way of giving back to families who may be in need," Mrs Belcher said.

This is not the first time St Andrew's has got behind the foodbank as each year they have a food collection in the school which is then donated to families in need.

The foodbank is housed at Weymouth Baptist Church on The Esplanade and is open on Tuesdays and Fridays from 10.30am until 12.30pm.

It was started in 2012 and foodbank volunteer, Ann Hampton said its need in the community has continued to grow.

"We get a lot of food donations but there are a lot of things we run out of or don't get so this donation will enable us to go out and buy some of the things we perhaps haven't got on the shelves," she said.

She added the school's donation was "amazing" and the fact children were getting so involved was 'mind-blowing'.

"We are reliant on financial donations or gifts of food but the people in this town are absolutely fantastic. The amount of donations we have had - it's just phenomenal," Mrs Hampton said.