FUNDS for the Australian bushfires relief effort have been raised by a Workington school with a cake sale as part of a sustainability campaign.
Susan Frost, headteacher of Ashfield Junior School, said: “We do a lot of work with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. We do our bit to achieve those goals and one of them is Life on Land.”
This prompted the school to support those suffering through the bushfires because many of the children were deeply affected by the images in the news. Mrs Frost said: “A lot of the children are coming in talking about personal experiences.”
The school has been working to educate the pupils on the crisis. “We have done lots of work in school assemblies on the bushfires,” she said.
Some of the pupils even have relatives living in Australia and have been distressed by the images of the fires at home.
“We have been very mindful of that when doing these assemblies” Mrs Frost said.
The cake sale at the school on Friday raised funds for two causes – Clifton Creek Primary School in Victoria which has been burnt down in the fires, and the Australia Animal Rescue Craft Guild.
Cakes were sold during break times and at the end of the day on Friday when parents were invited to come in and have tea or coffee. 
A representative of Ashfield Junior School said: “Clifton Creek School has been burnt down following the terrible bush fires in that region.
“Some schools in the North West of England have already begun raising money to rebuild it, and we would like to join them. 
“The craft guild are working hard to make beds and blankets for wildlife that is injured or without a habitat after the fires.”
A member of the group, Alison Phillips who lives in the Workington area, visited the school to talk about the adversity Australia is facing.
Mrs Frost said: “As part of those assemblies Alison came in and she showed them pictures of what they have been making.”
The work of the craft guild included blankets in which injured bats are being wrapped.
Plans for the fundraiser were put together by The Ashfield Junior School Global Goals Group.