UPPERTHONG children had a day in denim to raise cash for charity.

Pupils at the village's Junior and Infant School turned up in their jeans yesterday to mark Jeans for Genes day.

Each one paid £1 for the privilege of not coming in full uniform.

The event raised £160.

Jeans for Genes day is a national event organised by four major charities - Great Ormond Street Hospital Children's Charity, the Primary Immunodeficiency Association, the Society for Mucopolysaccharide Diseases and the Chronic Granulomatous Disorder Research Trust.

All the cash raised pays for research into serious and life-threatening genetic disorders affecting children.

The money also pay for valuable advice and support services for families.

This year, Jeans for Genes is helping four guest charities, as well as the four usual ones.

They are the Haemophilia Society, The Jennifer Trust for Spinal Muscular Atrophy, the Rett Syndrome Association UK and the Batten Disease Family Association.

The Batten Disease charity was formed with the help of GP Chris Martland and his wife, Janice, of Farnley Tyas.

They got involved because their son, Charlie, 11, suffered from the disease.

He died in August.