Teddy bear picnic raises money for school in Africa

If you went down to Maidenhead Nursery School this week you would have had a big surprise.

More than 50 children at the School Lane centre hosted a teddy bears picnic to raise cash for an African kindergarten.

Youngsters were sponsored to bring in their favourite cuddly toys on Friday as well as hosting a cake sale for the Mnyakongo Primary School in Tanzania.

Teacher Rose Schofield-Webb will be visiting Mnyakongo later this month with friend Barbara Laing.

Barbara, who lives in Belmont Road, was a pupil at Mnyakongo from the age of seven to 15.

The 69-year-old has been fundraising for the school since 2008, along with a other ex-pupils.

So far she has raised about £10,000.

Rose will present the children with Swahili books bought with funds raised by the Maidenhead Nursery School in 2012.

She said: "Alongside raising money, the aim of the visit is to raise global awareness as part of the school curriculum, and to start a dialogue between the two schools."

The picnic raised £111.