Wood Fen Lodge in Little Downham staged a ‘giant’ teddy bear picnic, inviting children to donate their spare cuddly toys to pupils at the Chita Primary School in Mpika, Zambia.

A total of 59 bears were donated at the picnic – complete with passports, the bears travelled for eight weeks to Zambia to find their new owners.

In a letter, Andrew Bwalya from the Zambia school explained the vision he had: “Our children are taught to read and write, and other good morals.

The Chita Primary School is in dire need of some reading and writing material – so as well as the picnic, Wood Fen held a raffle – raising nearly £200 to help fund new materials.

Andrew added: “Despite the good works done, we face challenges that need to be addressed, teaching materials, stationary, sports attire, teddies, high renting rates and salaries for qualified teachers.”

After the teddies touched down in Zambia, pupils posed for a photograph outside their school looking overjoyed with their new playmates.

If you would like to donate to help solve the Chita Primary School’s challenges, call Yvonne Martin on 01353 862495.