A FERRYHILL school is raising money to help friends thousands of miles away.

Cleves Cross Primary School is twinned with Jineraja KV School, in Weligama, Sri Lanka, and the two have worked on joint projects and held annual staff exchanges.

Both schools want pupils to be able to grow, cook and eat their own produce, keep chickens and learn about healthy eating.

But while Cleves Cross has managed to create a garden which is providing food for thought and for the table, its Sri Lankan counterpart has failed to get the project off the ground.

In October, teachers Angela Hilton and Jonathan Hornsby visited Weligama and discovered the school there was unable to develop a garden because it has no outside fence.

Mrs Hilton said: “The idea of the partnership is about being equals, to share and learn from each other.

“It is not about raising money.

“However, you cannot ignore the poverty.

“The garden should be a project we can both benefit from but they cannot do the same as us as they haven’t a perimeter fence for security and to keep cows off the land.”

Since the visit Cleves Cross Primary School and its Friends group has pledged to raised £1,800 to install a fence so Jineraja KV School can launch a gardening project.

Hundreds of pounds have already been raised with a harvest festival and an evening of mediumship with more fundraising events planned.