A modest classroom exercise has spiralled into a big charity fund raiser - thanks to the writing talents of pupils at Windsor's Trevelyan Middle School.

It all began when Year 6 pupils at the school in Wood Close were asked to write a short story, inspired by a personal experience of assistant headteacher Brad Day who was trapped in a bus that broke down in North Wales years ago.

Each pupil's story featured characters of their own creation and the work they produced amazed their teachers.

Mr Day said: "The quality of the work the pupils produced was so high we thought it deserved wider recognition.

"They showed real sophistication and their work embraced themes like friendship and loss."

It was so good the school decided to publish it as an e-book to raise money for the children's mental health charity Young Minds.

It was hoped to raise a modest £500 - but the book took off and now the sky seems to be the limit.

Mr Day said: "Word quickly spread of just how impressive these young children’s tales were. Some readers were so impressed with the depth and quality of what they read, they went back to give more. Despite the fantastic cause, we know from the comments donators have made that it is only due to sheer universal high quality of the stories themselves that the fundraising has been so successful."

Pupils are now in the process of writing to celebrities to garner their support. Four pupils from the class have appeared on BBC Berkshire’s Breakfast Show to promote the book.

Two of them Danny Parsons and James Warnell, who edited the publication said: “Our book has already inspired many across our school to become mini authors, but we would like to inspire more across the country and hopefully the world about the power of storytelling.”

Nicola Chandler, head of school, said: “We take mental health extremely seriously at Trevelyan and strive to offer world class support to our pupils. However, when the pupils themselves show such devotion to tackling this critical issue, we can feel reassured our future is in safe hands.”

You can access the book and contribute to the fund raising by visiting https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/mr-day