PUPILS at a Stourbridge school have added another wheelchair to The Big Push campaign and are on their way to providing a second to help hospital patients.

Youngsters from St James’s Primary School in Wollaston were able to raise £148 for the cause during a successful ‘Enterprise Event’, with their total taking a big boost thanks to a £600 donation from local company Balustrade UK Ltd.

As part of the school’s ‘My Money Week’, pupils split into small groups and formed their own business.

They then decided on a product to make, carried out market research, made a prototype and then started a production line to make as many products as possible.

The children thought about making a profit as a business and had to price their products competitively.

All of the products made were then sold to other children in the school, including pen pots, bracelets, bookmarks and cakes.

Headteacher Sally Sixsmith said: “We are very proud of how hard the year six children worked to make their Enterprise Event a great success.

“Not only did they raise money for a great case but they also leaned valuable skills around business and enterprise.

“Our aim was to raise enough money for our school to pay for one of the wheelchairs, but we are going to rise to the challenge of funding two now that we have also received such a generous donation from a parent.

“We have a number of other events planned before Christmas to help us meet our target of £1,200, including singing carols at Sainsbury’s in Amblecote on Sunday, December 17.

“We believe it is really important for our pupils to work together to help others in our community and The Big Push campaign has been a really good way for us to do this.”

The campaign aims to raise £30,000 to buy 50 new wheelchairs for Russells Hall Hospital and to date, The Big Push has raised £17,854 – enough for 29 wheelchairs.

We have had an additional £600 donation from the friends of the late Roger Lakin, of Tipton, who wished to purchase a wheelchair in his memory.

Mr Lakin was treated on the hospital’s Georgina Unit and passed away on September 24, aged 71.

When told about the donation, Mr Lakin’s wife, Barbara, said that it was "a wonderful gesture" and that the family would always be grateful to the staff who cared for him.

Donations can be made by calling into our offices at St John’s House in St John's Road, Stourbridge, with cash or cheques - cheques need to be made payable to Dudley Group NHS Charity/Wheelchairs.

Alternatively, visit www.justgiving.com/campaigns/charity/dghc/wheelchairs to make a donation online or text NEWS66 and an amount of £2, £5 or £10 to 70070.