A TEAM of hard-working teenagers have raised £750 in aid of three charities, including one which is particularly close to their hearts.

A third of the money raised by members of the Ridley Hall Interact Club will go towards the Teenage Cancer Trust at Newcastle’s Royal Victoria Infirmary.

The trust supported 14-year-old Rhya Story, the promising footballer from Greenhead who lost her battle against an inoperable brain tumour in October last year.

Some of the Interact Club’s 12 members were friends of Rhya, and they wanted to do something in her memory.

The 14-18 year-olds are all Haydon Bridge High School pupils based at Ridley Hall, near Bardon Mill, which is the school’s boarding wing.

The club is an offshoot of the Rotary Club of Tynedale and provides the youngsters with a range of activities.

Fund-raising activities carried out during the current academic year include supermarket bag packs; a sponsored walk and an exhausting ‘Three Peaks Challenge’ of Ridley Hall’s six staircases.

St John’s Ambulance also received a third of the cash, and the first aid charity is set to teach youngsters at Ridley Hall how to use a defibrillator.

The World Refugee Service received the other third of the cash.

Charity representatives joined Interact members and Rotarians at Ridley Hall for a cheque presentation and barbecue.

Interact president for 2015/16, Elizabeth Gray (17), said: “We put a lot of thought into the choice of charities, and that was reflected in where the money has gone.

“We have all been saddened by the loss of Rhya, who was friends with quite a few members of the group, so the Teenage Cancer Trust was one that we wanted to support.

“St John Ambulance does a lot of vital work, and it will be a bonus if they come out and show us how to use a defibrillator here at Ridley Hall.

“We chose the World Refugee Service because we are aware of international events and the refugee crisis. Our choices reflect a broad spectrum.”