A CARING group of Kendal primary school children have started a partnership with a charity for the visually impaired.

Pupils at Vicarage Park School have so far raised nearly £620 for Sight Advice South Lakes, their chosen charity of the year.

As a thank you, trustees from Sight Advice visited the school to run workshops raising awareness of the issues blind people face.

Dave Bedford, community and events fundraising co-ordinator, said: "We are quite humbled that they picked us.

"They approached us. It was the kids who came up with the idea to do something with the local people."

The awareness event included a visit from trustee Jenny Hodkinson, 65, who has been blind all her life.

The children had prepared questions for Ms Hodkinson, taking particular interest in her guide dogs.

"I thoroughly enjoyed it," Ms Hodkinson said. "The kids are lovely, they were very well prepared. They asked great questions."

Mr Bedford praised the children's willingness to learn and get involved with the charity and its work in the future.

"We were surprised as they do not have anybody who is partially sighted in their class," he said.

"We are going to go back and do some more awareness events. We will be involved for the next year and will do a summer fair at the school and they can run a stall."