PUPILS at a school in Royal Wootton Bassett marked the British Heart Foundation’s national Wear it Beat it campaign on Friday in a very special way.

Adults and kids from Noremarsh Junior School all wore red as they unveiled a brand new defibrillator for a fellow pupil who suffers with a complex heart condition.

The non-uniform day saw the pupils selling home-baked heart-shaped cakes to celebrate successfully raising more than £1,000 for the vital defibrillator, which will be kept on site to be used by both adults and children.

Carol Woolway, Noremarsh’s school bursar, said: “As we have a little girl in our school who has a heart defect, it’s so important for us to have this defibrillator in place.”

Speaking about the school’s massive fundraising drive, which has seen parents and kids getting involved in a wide range of activities throughout the year, Carol said: “It’s amazing how passionate people are about defibrillators.

“The pupils have all loved raising money for it and they recognise just how important it is, especially as it’s more common now for people to have heart attacks, even children.”

Niky Philpot, the parent of 10-year-old pupil Lori Weeks who suffers with a heart problem, was thrilled to see the defibrillator installed at Noremarsh.

She said: “It gives me peace of mind to know that Lori’s complex cardiac needs are catered for. There are a lot of things we worry about with her, but knowing something like this is in the school is a great help.

“It’s good to see all the children dressing up in red and taking part in this campaign, because I think it’s important to raise awareness of heart disease wherever we can.”

The British Heart Foundation on Friday launched Wear it Beat it day, calling on people to wear red, in a bid to raise awareness of heart disease.