Our kind-hearted pupils have raised a fantastic £1,000 after a local charity supported one of their class mates.

Five-year-old Oscar Sharland was diagnosed with medulloblastoma cancer – a form of childhood brain cancer – last July and has since undergone surgery, twice-a-day radiotherapy and high dose chemotherapy.

Inspired by his bravery, his Year 1 class at Steeple Bumpstead Primary School recently held a ‘silly run’ to raise money for The Laughter Specialists, based in Saffron Walden.

Undeterred by the bad weather on the day, pupils skipped, hopped, danced, crawled and even did the robot in the school hall.

Oscar’s mum Lucy said: “The whole thing has been very overwhelming and such a lovely thing to do.

“Oscar has been in and out of hospital since last July but the school, all his friends and the parents have been amazing.

“He has been up and down, but still takes everything in his stride. And when he has a bad day at school, I know his class look after him.”

The charity event was organised by Year 1 parents, Amy Bishop and Emma Owers, who said: “We just wanted to do something in support of Oscar and his family and say thank you to a charity that has helped them.

“We are fortunate that our children are part of such a close-knit class. We only asked for voluntarily donations or sponsorship and we were blown away by the amount raised.”

Lindsay Laxton and Lorraine Lambert, Year 1 teachers at Steeple Bumpstead Primary School, paid tribute to both Oscar and his class mates.

They said: “We are so proud of Oscar and how resilient he has been. He’s such a joy to teach and have in our class and it’s been wonderful to be part of this incredible fundraising event.”

The Laughter Specialists are entertainers and performers who are specially trained in bringing fun and laughter to children in hospital, hospices, and children with special needs through therapeutic interactive play, laughter and fun.