TAUNTON School students have raised a record £16,000 for three worthy causes in the past year.

At home they have supported church-based organisation Besom, which sees volunteers helping on a specific project such as tidying a disabled person’s garden or decorating a room in the county town.

The Taunton School efforts will go towards started packs for people moving into new accommodation and to maintain a van to transport furniture and volunteers.

They also raised money for Home of Hope, which provides residential care for children who are homeless or whose families were unable to care for them and is setting up foster care for children referred to them.

The school has had links with the charity since 2006 and has taken six teams of students to Albania to give the children a summer camp.

Students also held a day of action when they raised £1,500 for disaster relief for the victims of the tornado in the Philippines in the autumn.

And last weekend two sixth formers collected £1,000 for Macmillan cancer charity in memory of loved ones.

Chaplain and charities co-ordinator the Rev Christabal Ager said: “The splendid amount raised outshines even the achievements of the previous year, which were themselves an increase on what had gone before.

“We are delighted that so many of the pupils are pro-active in helping others whose needs are pressing.”