Four hundred Redditch school students used a non-uniform day to help hard-pressed local families.

Pupils at Astwood Bank’s Ridgeway Secondary School could ditch the uniform and wear their own clothes to school as long as they brought in a donation of food for Redditch Foodbank.

All the pupils took part and more than 500 items of food were collected. The festive initiative was organised by pupils on the School Council.

This was the first year the collection has been held and now there are plans to make it an annual pre-Christmas event.

Rebecca Craig, exam and data officer at the school, helped to organise the collection.

She said: “Many local families will be struggling after what has been a very difficult year and we all felt that it was important to give our support. We were overwhelmed with the generosity of the Ridgeway school community. Thanks to everyone who supported us and to the hardworking volunteers at the food bank.”