A charity which has just started work on a new children’s hospice in Wiltshire has been given a big boost by a Calne school.

St Margaret’s Preparatory School chose Julia’s House as its charity for the year and has now handed over £6,500 to the Wiltshire fundraising manager Ian Wadley.

Julia’s House is transforming part of the old Kennet District Council offices at Browfort, Devizes into a children’s hospice. It is expected to open its doors next year but the work of the charity is already transforming the lives of families with sick and disabled children in the county.

St Margaret’s chose Julia’s House as its 2015/16 charity last autumn and started its fundraising at Christmas with a red and green themed mufti day and a concert at a retirement home in Chippenham. Since then it has also held a sponsored walk and other fundraising events which have been supported by pupils, staff and parents.

Mr Wadley said he was delighted with the incredible total raised by the school and thanked everyone involved. St Margaret’s Headmistress Karen Cordon said: "The whole school community has worked tirelessly to raise much needed money for Julia’s House and we have been delighted to be able to support such an amazing, local cause."

A community choir in Chippenham is also doing its bit for the charity and will soon be recording a fundraising CD. Allsorts has raised donations to pay for the recording and manufacture of the disc and all money raised from sales will go to Julia's House.

Donations have come from firms including Scisys, DN Jet Clean and the Hair Studio. The choir has also held a number of fundraising events and there have been personal donations.

The will be made by Allsorts Choir and the international acclaimed classical guitar quartet Vida. The title song will be Over The Rainbow and it is hoped this will become a theme song for the hospice.

It is due for release in September priced at £7.

The choir meets on Monday evenings from 7.45pm at Sheldon Road Methodist Church, Audley Road, Chippenham. But is now on a break until September. For more information go to http://www.allsortschippenham.co.uk/