Shotton Hall Junior School, in Peterlee, took part in a Hats On For Haiti day to raise money for people affected by the earthquake on the Caribbean island.

Everyone at the school paid 50p to turn up wearing a hat and children spent their lessons wearing all manner of crazy headpieces including one made out of balloons, cowboy hats, woolly hats and a Peter Pan hat.

It is expected that £200 will have been raised after some pupils gave generously and pledged up to £10.

Around 200,000 people died in the earthquake on January 12 while an estimated 1.5 million are now homeless.

Deputy headteacher Maureen McNay thought up the idea and she turned up with 14 hats, including a fishing hat, a golfer's hat and a straw hat, which she changed every half hour.

School secretary Denise Balmer, who chose a sombrero to wear for the day, said: "Mrs McNay organised the day and she brought in 14 hats to wear. Every time we turned round she had a different hat on.

"It's so lovely that the kids feel quite strongly about these children who are all suffering in Haiti. They have really rallied round."