ST Mary's R.C. High School in Lugwardine, held a spring concert, quizzes and fancy dress days to help provide clean and safe water across the world as part of this year's CAFOD Lent fundraising campaign.

Right now, 650 million people are living without access to clean water. 2.5 billion people lack something as basic as a toilet and sewage system to flush away their waste. It is also estimated that women and girls spend 125 million hours a day collecting water, which means time away from work, school or playing with friends.

This Lent, money raised will enable the taps to be turned on across the world by repairing or providing water pumps and training in order to maintain them. It will also fund hygiene programmes, education in sanitation and the building of latrines. Matched funds from the UK Government will enable access to clean water, sanitation and hygiene programmes to over 300,000 people in Uganda, Zimbabwe and the Democratic Republic of Congo. In an added boost, their fundraising efforts for the Catholic charity's Lent Appeal will be doubled by the UK Government's Department for International Development up until May.

Mr Shannon, the deputy headteacher at St Mary's said "We have always done an Easter concert and have supported CAFOD; this year, we have been fundraising especially hard throughout Lent due to the Government's Match Funding. In addition to the concert tonight, each year group have fundraised on a Friday during Lent."

CAFOD representative, Elouise Hobbs, who attended the concert said: "I would like to thank St Mary's for inviting me to their wonderful concert full of talented and passionate students and for their fundraising efforts which will help to provide clean and safe water across the world."