By Duncan Bick

Last updated at 15:46, Friday, 09 November 2012

The sky turned blue at a primary school this week.

Sandy Roberts, left, and Ethan Goodchild

But it wasn’t any unseasonably warm weather that caused it to happen.

Nursery pupils at Brampton Primary School released a sea of blue balloons on Wednesday.

These had several purposes, explained teaching assistant Louise Foster.

“We are doing the colour blue with the nursery children using a book called The Blue Balloon,” she said.

Alongside this though, the balloons have also raised money for the Children’s Cancer Fund at Newcastle’s Royal Victoria Infirmary.

They were also designed to draw attention and bring a smile to a boy in Sunderland battling leukaemia.

Bailey Cooper, who is five, was diagnosed with the disease when he was just nine months old. While being treated in Newcastle’s Royal Victoria Infirmary, one of the patients on that ward was Ms Foster’s daughter Sarah, who became very close to him.

Last year he suffered a relapse of the condition and received a bone marrow donation as a result.

Because of this, Bailey now has to stay in isolation while he recovers.

The Brampton pupils have been taught about Bailey.

“We want to make them aware of what’s happening to someone of a similar age,” said Ms Foster. “We are hoping to build up a relationship with him.”

She added: “We are showing them pictures. He has lost his hair and his eyebrows and eyelashes.

“We are trying to tell them there are other children out there who are poorly.”

The balloons were released at two points in the day, at 11am and 2pm.

This was because some pupils only attend classes in the morning or in the afternoon.

Each child who released a balloon paid £2 to do so, all of which will be handed over to charity.

The pupils will also help Bailey by writing letters and collecting items for him.

Once his treatment is completed, Ms Foster also hopes to bring Bailey to Brampton to speak to the children there.

First published at 15:43, Friday, 09 November 2012
Published by http://www.cumberlandnews.co.uk