Pupils from The Olive School in Stoke Newington spent the festive season raising money and collecting gifts for St Joseph’s Hospice and Hackney Foodbank.

The school's pupils and their parents were busy creating shoe boxes filled with treats and gifts, as well as collecting food for local vulnerable people and families in need.

They also visited patients in hospitals in the borough to keep them company this winter.

The charity drive was organised by the school and forms part of the its annual Festive Winter Gift Programme.

Caterina Park, principal of The Olive School, believes the charitable giving programme is an essential part of school life.

She told the Gazette: "The parents, staff and pupils at our school have been incredibly generous and thoroughly enjoy giving back to our local community.

"We think it's essential for our pupils to take part in charity work as it is a large part of our school's identity.

"The festive Winter Gift Programme gives our pupils a way of showing just how they can make a difference to people in their local community."

Students visited the Florence Bennett Centre to donate food for Hackney Foodbank, which has seen a 50 per cent increase in the need for food parcels this year.

Mufti Hamid Patel CBE, chief executive of Star Academies, said: "It is extremely heartening to see our pupils, parents and staff embrace our Winter Gift Programme by reaching out into their communities to put smiles on the faces of the most vulnerable.

"Together, we want to ensure that no one in our community is without company, a card or gift at the time of year when our country is celebrating a national holiday,"

The Olive School is run by Star Academies, a not-for-profit multi-academy trust. 28 schools are run by the trust and all of them have been involved in the charitable scheme to help local people who might be struggling or lonely this time of year.