A NEWPORT high school raised £1,200 more than £1,000 in support of the Welsh Memorial in Flanders Campaign.

Staff at Duffryn High School turned up to school wearing Christmas jumpers, with a competition for the best one, while pupils took part in a non-uniform day. raising £1,200.

The campaign aims to build a cromlech, or flagstone monument, in the Flanders region of Belgium by August next year, in time to mark the centenary of the war’s outbreak of the First World War. in 2014. It is in honour of all the Welsh soldiers who fought in the war.

Ivan Beattie, from the appeal, was presented with the cheque at the school’s Christmas carol concert on Wednesday. December 18. Local people have already donated land for the memorial to be built on. and Duffryn High School decided to get involved to help make the monument happen.

Duffryn High School head teacher Jon Wilson said: “We held a non uniform day for the students with the staff coming in their Christmas jumpers to be judged. “The aim was to help raised fund for The Welsh Memorial in Flanders Campaign to build a memorial in Flanders.

“Wales is the only country that does not have a memorial there even though thousands of Welsh soldiers died there.”

Alongside this, sixth form students raised more than £200 to help with the Christmas Pyjama Appeal which supports elderly people in hospital by providing them with nighties and pyjamas.

The students decided to raise the money after school governor Jan Atkinson, who works with elderly people who must stay for a long time in hospital, asked the school to support this cause.