YOUNGSTERS have become video stars to help promote a fundraising event.

Children and staff at The Compass School have been getting in training for Our Community Kitchen’s fun run at Neilson Park.

As well as training for Saturday, the pupils have created a promotional video encouraging people to get involved.

The film for the fundraiser, which takes place from noon to 3pm, can be viewed at https://youtu.be/cjz0jxf0jbs

A similar fundraiser took place last year and proved a great success.

Now, people are lacing up their running shoes for this weekend’s event, which is sponsored by Garden Stirling Burnet, and flyers and sponsorship forms are available from Gibson’s, Leisure Time Sports, Haddington Wines and Whiskies, Crossfit Haddington and Haddington Library.

Mark Becher, headteacher at the Haddington school, said: “We have a very active school mascot, Charlie Compass, who is often seen at events across East Lothian and, once he heard about this event, he was keen to begin training for the five laps of Neilson Park he plans to run on the big day – with the promise of a jar of honey awaiting him at the finishing line!

“We decided to capture his training (and the children who supported him) in a very visual way.

“We had great fun making this short film and have been delighted by the response to it so far on social media.

“Hopefully it will result in good numbers coming along to support the event on the day.”

The Compass has a very close relationship with Our Community Kitchen.

The aim of the charity is to bring people together in the Haddington and Lammermuir area who are socially isolated to share good, hearty home-cooked food in a relaxed and friendly environment, allowing for friendships to form.

As well as fundraising to support the charity over the past three years, the school has been working closely with their staff and guests over the past six months as part of an intergenerational project called ‘Growing Friendships’.

The project is one of a small number of pilot projects in the UK being supported by ‘Generations Together’ and has seen children and grown-ups come together to share and enjoy each other’s company and to take part in a variety of different activities: from playing board games to singing and from gardening to aerobics.

Mr Becher added: “We have a strong link with our friends at Our Community Kitchen and we have been delighted to support the invaluable work that it does in the local community over the past few years.

“Our inter-generational project Growing Friendships has brought us even closer together during the past year and, when we heard that the charity was running this big fundraising event on September 21, we wanted to make sure that as many people as possible knew about it.”

Elaine Gale, founder of Our Community Kitchen, described the video as “wonderful”.

She said: “It's so wonderful and it's brought a few tears to my eyes today.”