IMPRESSED by a traversing wall he had used, 12 years old Ashley Cann, then a pupil at Lapford School , was the force behind £830 being raised for their own school wall, with a share going to North Devon Hospice.

Teacher Tony Meeds said the School Council, of which Ashley was then a member, wanted to do some fundraising, Ashley came up with the idea to raise enough for a traversing wall.

Ashley explained: "We went on a residential course near Torrington where they had a traversing wall. We all liked it and I had the idea of raising money for our own wall.

"We did a sponsored run around the school playground and field in the summer. Everyone in the school including staff and some parents and grandparents ran. You did as much as you could in half an hour or 45 minutes, the more laps you did, the more you raised.

"This was the most money we had raised at one event and so we decide to send half to the North Devon Hospice because my grandmother was there."

A traversing wall is where handholds and footholds are used to go across, not up, and these were put outside on the end wall of the school hall by The Mill Adventure at South Molton. The balance of the cost of the wall was paid by the school PTA.

Garard Fawcitt of the North Devon Hospice fundraising team received the cheque for £420 at the school. He said that more than £3.5 million was needed each year to fund its free caring service to the people of North Devon. "Community fundraising is a vital part of our income," he said.

Next big fundraising events for the Hospice are the Big Breakfast on March 26-28 when people are being asked to organise breakfasts to raise funds, and the Walk for Life on March 28 when there will be six sponsored walks along the North Devon coast to choose from, all led by coastguards.

For more information look at http://www.northdevonhospice.org.uk">www.northdevonhospice.org.uk, telephone 01271 347224, or email [email protected]">[email protected] . Mr Meeds added that more fundraising events will be held at the school to help North Devon Hospice.

Ashley's mother, Mrs Jo Cann, said his grandmother would have been very proud of her grandson. Now aged 12, he is a pupil at Chulmleigh Community College.