A group of sixth for students from Kenley have been thanked after raising thousands of pounds for London's Great Ormond Street Hospital for children (GOSH).

Students from OneSchool Global (OSG) UK's Kenley campus in Caterham chose GOSH, a renowned NHS hospital considered a world leader in paediatric medicine, as their chosen charity and raised some £3150.98 for the cause.

They did so in a sponsored 'book-a-thon' event that saw the community in Caterham get stuck into some of their favourite literature for the hospital.

GOSH was chosen by the students in no small part for classmate Xena Gurr, who has been receiving treatment at the hospital throughout her life and will soon turn 18 and leave the hospital's care.

Xena helped create the fundraiser herself and described her gratitude at the care she received from the hospital.

"The reason we wanted to do this was to give Great Ormond Street a big ‘thank you’ for all the support and help that they have given me in my life.

"As I’ll be turning eighteen shortly, I’ll sadly be leaving them soon, but I am so grateful for all the donations from within the OneSchool Global community, which will go towards helping young people like me in the future," she said.

Emily Hollis MBE, Head Teacher at OSG Kenley, added:

"At OneSchool Global, we are committed to giving back to the community which embodies one of our core values of care and compassion.

"GOSH provides vital child healthcare and support to many thousands of patients, and their families, each year.

"We wanted to do what we could to help support such an amazing organisation and say thank you to GOSH, on behalf of our entire community."

The team at GOSH meanwhile expressed their own thanks to the Kenley Campus students for their efforts in helping them out.

"This fundraising will contribute to four key areas within the hospital: rebuilding and refurbishment, specialist medical equipment, family support services and ground-breaking research.

"We look forward to welcoming the OneSchool Global students to the hospital when restrictions allow it so that we can thank them for their brilliant work in person," said GOSH Fundraising Executive Laura Foy.

Alexa Broude, an ambassador for the hospital, pointed out how much GOSH relies on charitable donations like those raised by the students, underlining the importance of their achievement:

"It’s not until you are using the facilities at Great Ormond Street Hospital that you realise how much of them are provided by the hospital’s charity, which is itself supported by the work and donations of organisations like OneSchool Global.

"I would like to say a massive thank you to all of you who were involved in this fundraising, whether you participated or donated. This money will make a real difference," she said.