A Sussex school has scooped the top prize for its charity work at a national awards ceremony.

A team of students from Felpham Community College in Bognor were named overall winners in the Citizenship Foundation's Giving Nation Awards for Charitable Action, which celebrate young people's achievements for charities and their local communities.

Their prize is a trip to Kenya to see first-hand the work of international development charity Sightsavers International.

They will also take part in a cross-cultural art project with Kenyan schoolchildren.

Eight other schools each picked up a regional award of £1,000 to be put towards future charitable activities or to donate to a good cause.

To enter the awards, schools across the UK wrote diaries on the G-Nation website describing their charitable activity, volunteering and campaigning activities throughout the school year and the impact it had locally and internationally.

Third Sector Minister Phil Hope, who presented the awards in London, said the winners had shown the difference young people could make by taking an active role in society.

He said: "At Felpham Community College charitable activity is a core part of school life that really engages the students with action to improve the lives of others.

"They are a great example and I'm sure their students will be an inspiration to other young people.

"I want to see more opportunities for young people to get involved with voluntary and charity work. Not only for the benefit of the many people they can help but also for the considerable benefits they get themselves, like learning new skills and a greater understanding of different lives and cultures."

Andy Thornton, the Citizenship Foundation's director of Participation and Social Action, said: "These awards celebrate the very best of what schools do to help others outside their gates.

"School communities are a great microcosm of society and a great place to learn how we can build a stronger society through voluntary participation.

"Earlier this year the Giving Nation programme helped us to win our own international award as it was recognised by Germany's Bertelsmann Foundation as a world leader in its field.

"The UK has much to be proud of in the way we are building a strong, fair and inclusive society, and these schools are shining examples of that."

Jo Mitchell, schools development manager at Sightsavers International, said the trip would be an "amazing opportunity" for the Felpham Community College students to learn about the lives of their peers in rural and urban Kenya.

She said: "Visiting local projects and schools will also demonstrate how the work of international charities, like Sightsavers, is visibly improving people's lives.

"This valuable experience should help the students in planning and developing campaigns to support their favourite charities in the future."

The Giving Nation schools programme provides free resources, an online awards scheme and a web community at www.g-nation.co.uk to encourage young people to take part in charitable activity, volunteering and campaigning.

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