A hair-raising event

EIGHT Year 13 students at The Meridian School in Royston organised a hair-raising charity event on Friday to help rickshaw drivers in India. Driving rickshaws is seen as one of the hardest jobs in India – and drivers often become depressed and turn to dru

EIGHT Year 13 students at The Meridian School in Royston organised a hair-raising charity event on Friday to help rickshaw drivers in India.

Driving rickshaws is seen as one of the hardest jobs in India - and drivers often become depressed and turn to drug and alcohol abuse.

Hundreds of drivers die before the age of 40, leaving their dependent widows and orphans.

With no government support families rely solely on outside help - and the Widows and Orphans of the Varanasi Rickshaw Drivers fund does just that.

A school spokesman said: "The idea for the fund-raising event came after some of the students involved visited Varanasi on a religious studies trip last year.

"The experience left them deeply moved and they wanted to help by raising some money."

The pupils raised £420 by persuading religious studies teacher Alex Gaunt to have his pony tail cut and head shaved.

Students Tess Fielden, Lindsay Judge and Tina Maylor paid £15 in order to cut Mr Gaunt's pony tail.