PUPILS and parents showed their support for the suffering of the Haitian people with an imaginative fundraising event today (Friday 29).

Children at Snaresbrook College Preparatory School, in Woodford Road, Wanstead, enjoyed a non-uniform day on Friday January 29, wearing red and blue to match the colours of the Haitian flag.

Pupils also laid out gold and silver coins to spell out 'Haiti' on the floor of the school hall.

The coins have been added to the collection for the non-uniform day and parents also kindly donated later in the day while having a chat over tea and coffee.

On January 12 the Caribbean nation of Haiti was hit by a huge earthquake, measuring 7.0 on the Richter scale, with the epicentre just outside the capital Port-au-Prince.

Thousands of buildings, including the Haitian parliament and the UN mission headquarters, were partially or completely destroyed, and hundreds of thousands of people were left homeless and without water or water, with many needing urgent medical care.

Estimates suggest that the death toll could climb as high as 200,000, but exact figures are unknown as looters and vigilantes continue to disrupt relief efforts and many thousands of people are still unaccounted for.