STUDENTS took a break from their studies to serve coffee and cake in aid of a cause close to their hearts.

Northallerton College volunteers raised hundreds of pounds in aid of the Macmillan Cancer charity, continuing a tradition which started in 2003.

The charity helps people living with cancer and their families, offering financial advice, respite care and domestic support.

Students began raising funds after a teacher was diagnosed with terminal cancer almost a decade ago. Since then the disease has affected more staff and pupils’ families.

Volunteers bake cakes which are sold along with drinks at the annual World’s Biggest Coffee Morning hosted by Macmillan.

Stuart Fyfe, 15, of Yafforth, said: “We do this every year because we feel it is really important to do something around a disease which seems to affect more and more people.”

More than £200 was raised through the coffee morning, with other activities, including a sponsored leg wax and busking, expected to bring the total to near the £300 mark.

The college’s Learning Zone manager Catherine Walters, who helped organise the event, said: “Our young volunteers did a fantastic job and we are delighted with the amount of money raised for a very worthwhile cause.”