PUPILS at Laurence Jackson School, in Guisborough, have raised £6,400 for local charities.

That brings the total amount raised by the school in the past 13 years to more than £75,000. Most of this year's collection was raised in sporting events designed to celebrate the school's first year as a specialist sports college. The most popular event was abseiling from the roof of the English block. The beneficiaries of this year's efforts include The Home for Children with Learning Disabilities, in Brotton, the Special Care Baby Unit at the James Cook University Hospital and the school's Christmas party for senior citizens.

BUILDING COMPUTERS: Youngsters at a Teesside school have been building computers from scratch. Years five and six at Teesside Preparatory and High School, in Eaglescliffe, took part in the event in a bid to get them interested in technology. Using a detailed list of components, ranging from mother-boards to memories and floppy disk drives, to processors, the pupils were shown how to construct computer hard drives.

SHED BLAZE: A single-storey shed adjacent to a storage yard in Ennis Road, Dormanstown, Redcar, has been badly damaged by fire, Cleveland Fire Brigade said.

RED RELIEF: Staff at H&W Building Supplies raised £345 for Comic Relief. Workers visited Longbeck Trading Estate, at Marske, near Redcar, with a collection tin.

BOOK SALE: Norton Library, in Norton High Street, will hold a book sale on April 3 and 4. The sale will take place from 10am to noon, and 2pm to 5pm each day.

RELIEF APPEAL: Staff and customers at Asda, in Billingham, raised £458 for Comic Relief.