A SPONSORED treasure hunt by children at Le Monde Petit Day Nursery in Burnley raised nearly £900 for the Meningitis Trust.

Nursery staff handed over the cheque for £883.90 to Christine Hughes, regional development officer for the Meningitis Trust, at a special ceremony held at the Bank Parade nursery.

Nursery manager Andrea Watson said: "Our children were given a list of 10 objects to find at home and bring in to nursery. They included everyday items such as bottle tops, sweet wrappers and lollipop sticks and more unusual treasure such as a grain of rice, a leaf and flower seed.

"We were delighted by the children's enthusiasm and the support parents gave. Without their commitment we could not have hoped to raise so much money for the Meningitis Trust.

"We have chosen to donate the proceeds to the Meningitis Trust because we know of children who have had meningitis and it is something we are always aware of in our day to day work with the children."

Christine Hughes added: "Meningitis is the most common infectious cause of death among children under five years of age. The Meningitis Trust in the North West is extremely grateful to be receiving the money the children have raised at the nursery through their sponsored treasure hunt.

"It will be used to provide support and care for people affected by meningitis in the East Lancashire area, such as the counselling service and the 24-hour nurse-led helpline.

"We would like to take this opportunity to say thank you to everybody involved in organising the event, children, parents and staff."