ON THURSDAY, May 21, Stroud Valley Community School held a Drawathon to raise money for Nepal.

The idea was that all the children in the school would take part in a drawing made on a long roll of paper, and each bring a donation which would be sent directly to the Shree Chandee Adarsha Saral Secondary School in Nepal.

In fact the children filled four rolls of paper with their beautiful and colourful images, and raised over £250.

Using pastels, crayons, pens and pencils they covered the sheets with drawings of monkeys, temples, red pandas, snow leopards, mountains, prayer flags, rhododendran flowers and other images inspired by Nepal.

They also drew themselves waving to the Nepalese school children, and wrote messages to say that they were thinking about them.

They knew that photos of their drawings would be sent to the headteacher of the school, to show to the children there.

The Shree Chandee Adarsha Saral Secondary School is in Patan, which is south of Kathmandu.

A number of children attending the school lost their homes in the recent earthquakes, and some also lost their parents.

The money raised by the Drawathon will go to the charity Education for the Deprived, which provides uniform, school lunch and school equipment for that school.

It also provides a yearly health check with a doctor and invests a small amount each year into a bank account for the children so if they complete their school education they can invest in tools / further education etc.

Juliette and Steve Saville, whose daughter is at Stroud Valley School, had been to Nepal only a few weeks before the first earthquake, visiting the headmaster and the school.

Their photos of Nepal inspired the Stroud Valley schoolchildren as they started drawing, and prompted many conversations about what other animals might live there.

The children also enjoyed listening to the sound of a singing bowl, and looking at models of a temple and a Sherpa village.

The Drawathon was organised by Stroud artists Susie Walker, Martha Lightfoot and Hannah Dyson, who have children at Stroud Valley School, and they were helped by other parents too.

At the end of the day some parents came and added to the drawings, and they are now displayed all around the school near the classroom doors.

As well as raising money to send to Nepal it was a chance for the children to feel that they could do something to help, and their enthusiasm was wonderful to see.

Photos by Tessa Walliman and Susie Walker.