MONEY raised by a secondary school will pay for 54 hours of care for hospice patients who are being looked after at home.

St John the Baptist School presented a £3,000 cheque which will cover the cost of the nursing to Woking and Sam Beare Hospices Wellbeing Care.

The money is the surplus from more than £7,000 that the Old Woking school raised to make personal protection visors for NHS and care workers during the first coronavirus lockdown.

Staff and students made more than 1,550 visors and delivered them to hospitals, care homes, doctors’ surgeries and community nursing teams.

One of the major contributors to the initiative was Year 9 student Tom Evenden, who printed headbands for the visors on his own 3D printer.

Some of the students, governors and parents also took part in the Sewing for Scrubs initiative, making protective facemasks as well as Key Stage 3 “sewing hearts” for NHS staff and patients as part of their art home learning.

The school also donated science goggles and lab coats for hospital staff to use as PPE when caring for COVID-19 patients.

“The students chose to donate the money left over from these fundraising efforts to a local health care charity that is close to our hearts as a community,” said school chaplain Michele Harrison.

“The money will pay for 54 hours of nursing care to patients in their own homes by a dedicated team of community nurses.”

The cheque was presented to Rhona Byrne, Woking and Sam Beare Hospices Wellbeing Care community fundraiser.

“Our thanks to St John the Baptist School pupils, parents and teachers for continuing to support us during these challenging and unprecedented times, and to all the who contributed to making the donation happen,” she said.