IT'S been a record breaking year for Dene Magna School's Christmas box collection, with pupils and senior citizens from the community filling a total of 215 boxes.

The shoe boxes filled with gifts go through Operation Christmas Child (OCC), the World's largest Christmas project.

This year the school's students aged from 11 upwards were joined in their efforts by older people from the Mitcheldean community, the oldest being a 'young' 89, to fill the hundreds of boxes.

Headteacher, Mr Stephen Brady, thanked everyone for their hard work, particularly the tremendous work of teacher, Bev Stevenson.

On behalf of the school he also presented each of the senior citizens involved with their own personal Christmas shoe box of goodies.

Last year the Dene Magna boxes went to children in Bosnia and Belarus. The school will be tracking the journey of its 2011 collection.