Fundraisers at King’s Ely Junior (KEJ) have raised almost £18,000 for Cancer Research UK by holding non-uniform days, cake sales and its debut soapbox race this year.

Fundraising efforts from individual pupils have also contributed to the total raised, including siblings Charlotte, Florence and Winnie Henderson, who had their long hair cut off into stylish bobs in July, raising almost £6,000 for the charity.

The sisters also donated their hair to the Little Princess Trust, a charity which provides real hair wigs to boys and girls across the UK who have lost their hair due to cancer treatment.

Heidi Connell, senior local fundraising manager for Cancer Research UK, attended King’s Ely’s Michaelmas Mid Term Service at Ely Cathedral to collect the cheque and meet some of the pupils and staff who helped to raise the money.

She said: “What an incredible year of fundraising King’s Ely Junior has had. We are so grateful to the school community for supporting us in such an enormous way.

“All of the money raised will be going to the research that is going on in Cambridge right now. Without this fundraising we really couldn’t do the research we are doing, and King’s Ely Junior’s contribution will help us get closer to our ambition that by 2034 three in four people who get diagnosed with cancer will survive.”

Over the last six years, KEJ has raised more than £75,000 for the school’s chosen charities, which include CLIC Sargent, WaterAid and the East Anglian Air Ambulance.

The next 12 months will see KEJ raising funds for the Uganda Marathon Appeal, which supports different projects in Uganda, including Mengo Hospital in the capital, Kampala.

For more information about the Uganda Marathon Appeal, visit www.ugandamarathon.com