CHIGWELL School has collected 260 shoeboxes full of gifts for Operation Christmas Child this year, beating last year's total of 202.

The boxes will be distributed to children in Eastern Europe whose lives have been torn apart by war, poverty, illness and neglect.

Junior school deputy head teacher Jenny Gwinn said: "It's a very valuable experience for the pupils to be able to think about children less fortunate than themselves and to be able to do something practical and positive for them."