A KIDDERMINSTER school helped raise more than £1,000 for a family to take to India to feed disadvantaged families.

Pupils at the Knoll School, in Manor Avenue, had been fundraising and creating looms bands and heart messages to send to India, with pupil Nayan Batta’s family.

When their story was published in the Shuttle in March, the school had raised £400 for the family to take to India. But days later, the Knoll School had raised more than £700 through donations and a book sale.

Overall, the family took more than £1,000 to India.

Pam Batta, Nayan’s mother, said: “Spending the last three and a half weeks with my children in India has been one of the most memorable, rewarding and enjoyable experiences.

“Initially what started off as a family holiday, soon evolved into a charity mission across many miles, on behalf of the Knoll School.

“Our first leg of spreading goodwill was carried out in a number of areas just outside of New Delhi, where we handed out more than 500 meals to families living in semi-permanent shelters. The families were eager to take whatever we were sharing and the children wore the heart badges made by the children of the Knoll with pride.

“They were keen to show off their loom band bracelets which we handed over with tubs of hot food and packets of biscuits, which seemed to be a luxury treat.

“Although, I had tried to prepare my children to what they would witness and having seen such scenes many a time on television, seeing it in reality first hand and experiencing people with their hands out in eager anticipation was a hard hitting truth.”

The family also headed to a small village in Hoshiapur, where they funded a £200 hand water pump at the village school, so the children would have access to fresh water. They also purchased jute matting for the children to sit on while having their lunch and donated money to five pupils to purchase books to help them with their school work.

Mrs Batta added: “The children, parents and teachers from the school did an amazing job raising so much money in such a short time.

“I was really surprised and proud how the Year Six children took it upon themselves to plan and organise a second hand book sale the following week, because they wanted to try and raise even more money for us to take. The book sale, which took place at break time and after school, raised more £200.”

Nigel Humphreys, head teacher at the Knoll School, said: “Unsurprisingly, the children, staff and parents enthusiastically rallied to support the street children in Delhi and a deprived village school raising an incredible £731.

“We were all proud to have been involved in such a worthy project.”