PUPILS at a Darwen primary school put on their dancing shoes and donned wacky hair-dos to raise money for a community defibrillator in memory of a former student.

Youngsters at St Barnabas CE Primary School in Knowlesly Road came together to take part in a Zumbathon while fashioning fancy hairstyles and sportswear in memory of Kevin Burnett, a former student who died suddenly last year at the age of 11 after battling with severe asthma.

MORE TOP STORIES:

Each class took it in turns to ‘dance until they dropped’ as part of an effort to raise £2,000 for a community defibrillator which staff and students hope will help save lives.

Headteacher Helen Tho-mas said she was delighted with the way all the students had joined in to raise money for a cause close to their hearts.

She said: “Kevin had a great spirit, resilience and courage and that's why our students did this, to dance until they couldn’t do anymore, in tribute to Kevin’s love of sport and determination to keep going.

“The reason why everyone came in with fancy hair was because Kevin loved his hair and he loved his sport too, so we got everyone in sports gear.

“We are aiming to raise £2,000 for a community defibrillator that we hope lots of people will benefit from and the children know that what they are doing will save lives. I am delighted with the way that everyone joined in with the spirit of the day.”

Three of Kevin’s brothers, Lewis, Jake and Ben, are still at St Barnabas while his older brothers John and Lucas attend Darwen Aldridge Community Academy in Sudell Road.

Before leaving St Barnabas to go to DACA, Kevin played the role of Demetrius in Shakespeare’s AMidsummer Night’s Dream.

The event was organised by the school’s RotaKids, a group created in October with Darwen Rotary Club, which focuses on taking part in events and raising money for charity.

Kevin’s mum Laura Partington said: “The kids have worked amazingly well. We’re very lucky to be surrounded by an amazing community in Darwen and the town has been hit hard recently, first Kevin then my friend David’s daughter Sky Nicol passed.

“It’s been really tough and still is, I’m just thankful people are helping support us through.”