TEN thousand is the magic number for a children’s charity asking for school pupils to go green this year.

After 16 schools in the town signed up for Green Gear Day 2011 the charity is now hoping to boost that to 20 schools – or 10,000 youngsters – who will don green non-uniforms on May 27.

Money raised will go towards the NSPCC’s South West Child’s Voice Appeal.

NSPCC community fundraising manager for Swindon, Patrick Weaver, said: “We are delighted that pupils in Swindon have done so much to help make a fundamental difference to the lives of vulnerable local children.

“Going green for the day, by wearing green clothes, jewellery, hats, make up or even colouring hair, is a fun way for the whole school to get involved and raise much needed funds to help strengthen and develop the NSPCC’s ChildLine service, which children in every town and village across the region can access.”

The NSPCC launched the Child’s Voice Appeal in 2008 to raise £50m nationally to answer through its national services, ChildLine and the NSPCC Helpline.

To date, more than £900,000 has been secured for the South West Child’s Voice Appeal. The public’s help is now needed to raise a further £700,000 to achieve the £1.6m target. In 2010, six local schools and 3,500 pupils took part in the non-uniform day with a difference, with each young person donating £1 to the children’s charity.