RAISING cash for our SARA 3 appeal was a cakewalk for pupils at one Chepstow school.

Youngsters at the Dell school made a magnificent £81 by selling cakes they had made at home – a fabulous effort.

A spokeswoman for the school said: “We were delighted with the response from all the reception children involved and grateful to staff for all their hard work.

“SARA came into the school as part of our ‘people who help us’ topic, so it was fantastic to give them something back.

Each pupil involved will be getting one of our special SARA fundraising certificates for their efforts. Our grand total now stands at £1,300 – so well done to everyone, and keep those fundraising ideas coming.

l A big thank you to Paul Hogan, who co-owns Cymru Kitchens and is donating £50 to our SARA 3 lifeboat appeal.

Mr Hogan’s wife Ophelia runs Ophelia’s Personal Training in Chepstow. She will also be donating £50 to our SARA 3 appeal.

Mr Hogan and his friend James Wilkinson also raised cash for the RNLI when they sailed across the English channel in a catamaran (see page 10).

l The Severn Area Rescue Association is run exclusively by volunteers and is completely dependent on donations to keep it running – it needs £30,000 a year just to maintain its services.

That’s why we launched our campaign to raise £17,500 to replace the SARA 3 lifeboat at Beachley, which has reached the end of its lifespan.

Several people, including a team from the Free Press as well as Chepstow’s new mayor Cllr Marian Lewis will be taking part in a sponsored abseil to raise money for our SARA 3 appeal.

As reported, the abseil is being organised by the National Diving and Activity Centre near Chepstow and will take place at 10am on Sunday, September 5.

All those who raise more than £125 will be entered into a draw for the chance to have a day on a SARA lifeboat. The highest fundraiser wins a mystery prize.

Entry forms with a £70 deposit to secure your place should be returned to the diving centre by Friday, August 13. Entry forms, sponsorship forms and information sheets are available at ndac.co.uk