THEY were pounding the streets in search of pennies to see who could make their cash go the furthest!It was a fundraising event with a difference as teams competed in a coin race to raise cash for street children in Guatemala, and it gave all the competitors a real run for their money.

THEY were pounding the streets in search of pennies to see who could make their cash go the furthest!

It was a fundraising event with a difference as teams competed in a coin race to raise cash for street children in Guatemala, and it gave all the competitors a real run for their money.

The event was organised by a group of youngsters from Felixstowe's Cavendish Community Church in aid of the work of the Christian charity Toybox.

And the teenagers were thrilled with the outcome – as the race raised a staggering £1,055 thanks to the generosity of shoppers.

Added to other fundraising, it ensured the youngsters met their fundraising target of £5,000. Now they hope to raise a further £500 so that some of them can go to Guatemala to work on the project and see how the money is spent.

The race – which took place in the pedestrianised part of Hamilton Road in Felixstowe – involved teams encouraging shoppers to lay coins on the ground in a line and collecting donations in buckets to place in the line.

Mayor Harry Dangerfield launched the event, which ended with the team of sixth formers from Deben as the winners, reaching the winning post with their line of coins first, with Safeway second, Orwell sixth formers third, and a team from the port fourth.

Alison Woolgar, of Cavendish Community Church, thanked everyone who had supported the event and also the shops who had provided refreshments and ribbon for the coins to be placed on, and change to make the pounds go further.

The event heralded the start of a week of fun activities in schools and churches in the area.

Head of outreach for Toybox, Angela Murray spoke at Cavendish Community Church and Ranelagh Road Fellowship on Sunday, and this week will be taking lively lessons and assemblies with a Latin America feel at schools in the parish.

"I'm hoping that this week will give everyone involved a greater awareness of children living on the streets and in extreme poverty in Latin American and that we can all make a difference," she said.

Teams from Toybox work on the streets of Guatemala City and its rubbish dump, looking for homeless children, and also run a hostel to provide a chance to sleep in a secure environment, and a day centre.

WEBLINK: www.toybox.org