Primary school pupils have rallied around in support of their caretaker, an ex-Gurkha from Nepal, to raise funds for the earthquake-hit country.

Children from Barrow Hedges Primary School raised more than £1,000 for victims of the disaster during a bake-sale on Friday.

Ser Pun, of Clarendon Road in Wallington, was worried about his family following the disastrous 7.8 magnitude earthquake that struck Nepal last month.

Mr Pun, who came to the UK in 2006, served in the Royal Gurkha Rifles and was stationed in Hong Kong before retiring in 1995, but his two brothers and two sisters still live in Nepal.

Fortunately, when Mr Pun was able to make contact with his family, who live near the Nepalese capital Kathmandu, they were able to confirm that they were all safe and accounted for.

Mr Pun, 52, said: “When I saw what had happened on the TV I was very shocked. “All the buildings had collapsed and people were suffering.

“I knew I had to do something to help them.”

When members of the Harbury Road school staff realised Mr Pun had started to raise money for the survivors they decided to put on a bake sale to support the caretaker’s fundraising effort.

The amount collected during the bake sale was £1,021. Money raised from the bake sale will go towards funding medical supplies for doctors and blankets for victims of the earthquake.