French delicacies were on the menu in Stenton, at a cafe-style event organised by the village primary school in aid of two charities.

The idea came from the school’s principal teacher Tina Aitchison.

All of the school’s 24 pupils spent four weeks planning the event and the cafe was held in early March in Stenton’s village hall.

Pupils sent letters about their plan to local businesses inviting them to support the event.

Letters received by Tesco and the Co-op led to the two stores donating all of the food and drink.

The school’s pupils elected to raise money for two charities: World Wide Fund for Nature and Big Sleep Out.

The pupils and staff dressed in French-themed and tricolour clothing, and had practised the language so they could speak French throughout the afternoon.

Alongside tea and coffee, more than 60 people enjoyed a number of French-style pastries, bread and cheese.

Teacher Sandra Macniven said: “The kids wanted to have a community event to bring everyone together.

“We’re thinking of doing something like this every year now.

“The children were involved in planning the whole event; they did everything and we just supervised. 

“It’s something a bit different than normal.

“It also gives the whole school a chance to network with each other.

“We were not expecting that many people to turn up but the community support in Stenton is great; the community really supports everything the kids do.”

Representatives from Natwest had also visited the school to teach the children about budgeting. Each of the pupils had a specific role to play, including servers and greeters.

Mrs Macniven added: “I’d also like to thank the support staff for all of their help. We couldn’t do anything without them.

“The children did an amazing job at serving and keeping everyone fed and hydrated.”

The pupils then performed The Very Hungry Caterpillar story in French and sang some French songs.

Thanks to donations from all the guests, the school raised £264.

Ronnie Taylor, headteacher at Stenton, Innerwick and West Barns Primary Schools, said: “I think it was fantastic, I was really proud of the boys and girls.

“I think they worked really hard in the lead-up to what we were doing and it’s events like these that not only bring the learning of the curriculum together but bring the community together as well, which is really important in a place like Stenton.

“The school is always supported; we are very lucky we have an engaged community and I think the children rise to the occasion every time.”