A STAGGERING 25,000 pens, pencils, crayons and chalk have been sent to impoverished African schoolchildren following an appeal by a retired teacher.

Now a Malvern school has joined in the second stage of the appeal, launched after Brenda Wholey, of West Malvern Road, visited Lower Tanjeh Basic School during a holiday in the Gambia last year.

Ms Wholey was so appalled by the lack of resources she saw that upon her returning to Malvern she launched an appeal for 1,000 writing implements for the school, where one pencil was shared between six.

In fact, she returned there in May with 25,000, after what she described as an "absolutely superb" response.

"Within a week I had over 10,000 with 1,000 donated in one day alone," she said. "I would like to take this opportunity to thank everybody in Malvern."

Ms Wholey said the reaction of the Gambian schoolchildren was amazing.

"The kids were overjoyed," she said. "They shared them out around the community and even had enough pens and pencils left over to put some into storage."

The success of the appeal prompted Gill Walters, head of Hampton School, the pre-prep department of Malvern College, to invite Mrs Wholey to talk to pupils during a Gambia day on Wednesday, June 12.

As well as learning about the plight of children at Lower Tanjeh, who have to operate a handpump for four hours to fill one bucket of water, the pupils ate an African lunch and dressed in ethnic clothes.

They are also planning to correspond with their Gambian counterparts, as well as giving them any unneeded paper, pens, desks or other equipment. Hillstone, the prep department, is set to follow suit next year.

Hampton has now become a collection point for the appeal's next stage, which aims to send out garden equipment and seeds to allow pupils to cultivate food in the school garden and take skills learned there back to their communities.

Any hosepipes, buckets, packets of seed (even opened ones), pens, pencils, paper or worn-out, broken or unwanted garden equipment should be taken to reception at the College Road school. Collection can also be arranged on 01684 563121.