PUPILS at Bolton School Boys’ Division have achieved their ambitious target of raising £10,000 for charity to mark the school’s 500th anniversary.

A donation of £500 will be made to 20 charities after around 650 pupils took part in a sponsored 12-mile walk from the school to the top of Rivington Pike.

Pupils collectively walked over 6,000 miles — the distance it would take them to reach one of their chosen charities in Nepal – to raise the incredible sum.

The charities each receiving £500 are: Achieving a Headstart in Gambia, Age UK, Bolton Hospice, The Brain Tumour Charity, Cardiac Risk in Youth, Crohn’s and Colitis, Help for Heroes, LivLife (Tanzania), Macmillan Cancer, Mind, Motor Neurone Disease Association, The National Deaf Children’s Society, Open Hearts Open Minds, Papyrus, Rebuilding Schools Nepal RNIB, RNLI, Salvation Army, Stonewall, and the Teenage Cancer Trust.

A school spokesman said: “After walking up through Moss Bank Park and across the moors to reach the Pike, pupils stopped for lunch before the return trip. While the summer sunshine didn’t put in a lengthy appearance on the day, the weather was mostly kind to the walkers.

“This is the third time that the school has undertaken a walk to the Pike to raise charitable funds in recent years.”