Pupils at Easington Lane Primary School have filled dozens of shoe boxes with toys and gifts which will be shipped to other countries this festive season.

Operation Christmas Child is operated every year by the Samaritan's Purse charity which encourages individuals, families, schools, churches, businesses, and other organisations to fill ordinary shoe boxes with small toys, school supplies, sweets, and other gifts for needy children.

The operation is the world's largest children's Christmas project and since 1990 it has brought the joy of Christmas to more than 60million boys and girls.

Last year, more than 1.3million shoe boxes from the UK were sent to children in hospitals, orphanages, camps, homeless shelters and impoverished neighbourhoods.

Zena Dickenson, business manager at Easington Lane Primary School, said every year the pupils are eager to fill the boxes and they usually collect more than 100 to send off.