SCHOOL'S out for the summer but, ahead of signing off for the holidays, pupils at Dunfermline High School were busy earning donations for charity.

Ahead of returning to class after the second lockdown, youngsters in S3 began work on Youth and Philanthropy Initiative (YPI) Scotland projects, which gave them the opportunity to win a cash boost for their chosen organisation.

And, after four groups reached the final of the programme, a quartet of good causes – Happy Days Club, A Veteran's Best Friend, Safe Space and EATS Rosyth – will all share in a total of £4,500.

YPI Scotland is an active citizenship programme that raises awareness among young people about philanthropy and their local community, and each participating school is responsible for directing a £3,000 grant to a local charity through a unique programme of teamwork, research and competition.

Zara Bremner and Kyle Horne; Neve Meach, Millie Adamson, Emily Haddow and Niamh Mitchell; Neve Telfer and Hannah Dow; and Sophie Yorkston, Julia Koch, Lennox Mullen and Caelyn Fraser, all progressed to the remote final, held on June 23, of the competition after pupils across the year group had worked hard under challenging circumstances to design digital presentations.

A winning presentation was then chosen to receive the grant of £3,000, funded by the Wood Foundation, which manages the initiative, and that was awarded to Zara and Kyle for Happy Days Club, which is based in Cowdenbeath and provides support of those with a disability, the elderly, or who are housebound.

In addition, the Rotary Club of Dunfermline have provided £500 for each of the runners-up.

Those are Neve, Millie, Emily and Niamh's chosen charity, A Veteran's Best Friend, which trains and partners rescue dogs to assist veterans with mental health needs, providing companionship and therapeutic support; Safe Space, a Dunfermline-based organisation which supports childhood survivors of sexual abuse backed by Neve and Hannah; and EATS Rosyth, chosen by Sophie, Julia, Lennox and Caelyn, a community organisation that grows and shares food, while seeking to help the environment and improve food education.

Kirsty McLean, PTC in social subjects, RMPS and citizenship at the school, said: "We are absolutely delighted to be able to boost the efforts of our local community and are incredibly proud of all pupils for all their hard work."