Hundreds of poverty-stricken children in Eastern Europe will have at least one Christmas present to give them some seasonal cheer thanks to pupils at Pewsey Vale School.

The students have surpassed the wildest dreams of teacher Vicci Hay by giving more boxes of Christmas goodies than there are pupils in the school.

Mrs Hay, who organises the school's contribution to the Operation Christmas Child appeal, said she knew that Pewsey pupils were generous, but even she did not expect such a response to help the impoverished street children of Russia and the Ukraine.

This year the school set a target of gathering 450 shoe-boxes filled with small gifts. But 523 boxes were donated, more than the 460 pupils on the roll at the school.

Mrs Hay said: "It has been fantastic, just amazing, how the boxes have kept arriving. This year we have had enormous support from the local churches of St John's and the Methodist Reform Church. They provided approximately 40 boxes and contributed money towards the cost of transporting them."

Pupils also held a non-uniform day and raised more than £210 to help towards transporting the boxes to Eastern Europe.