PUPILS from Wroughton Junior School greeted their new teddy bear mascot when it parachuted in to the annual fayre with the help of a team of military veterans.

The annual school fundraiser was given an extra thrill thanks to the Poppy Parachutists and nearby Redlands Airfield.

Sian Ibberson, a member of the fundraising committee, was on the lookout for something unusual to be the highlight of the event when she happened to see the group parachuting at the airfield.

When she approached them they decided to do the event for free to help raise money for the school and their own chosen charity, the Royal British Legion.

Sian said: “They messaged me to let me know that they felt bad for the children of the school and us because we work so hard and volunteer, as do they.

“This has been a massive act of pure kindness from the display team and Redlands.”

The skydivers who delivered the as yet unnamed mascot, were rewarded with a specially baked and iced cake with their logo.

Headteacher Andrew Wilson said: “We think it’s a really good part of keeping the school a part of the history.

“I think it’s a good part of learning and growing as our children are learning about World War One and Two and to see the parachutists land on the ground is exciting for them.”

Parachute team administrator Rachel Organ, said: “We were approached, and we were asked if we were able to jump and as Sian saw us and she needed to get a sponsorship to cover the costs and we wanted to do something for the area.”

After the jump the team described the jump as a blast. Members wrote on social media: “We cannot tell you how heartwarming it was to hear the excited shouts and screams from the children as they watched eight of our guys land in their school field.

“And when we joked that the guys expect cake after they land, we never expected our hosts to organise such a brilliant and tasty bespoke cake.

"Thank you again to Wroughton Junior School. You made our hearts all glowy.”

As well as staging the popular annual fun run, the organisers decided to go the extra mile to get more members of the community involved in the event.

Swindon Lightning Cheerleading Club and Zumba by Jade and Andie featured on the programme and for the first time stalls were available for local companies and organisations, And Wiltshire Police were there with a police car that proved a popular attraction with children.