THE carols sung by the Singing Club of Butts School in Alton at the town’s Sainsbury’s store at Christmas raised £115 for the Hounds For Heroes charity.

On Monday, the youngsters returned to the store, with their teacher Sarah McGilvray, to hand over a cheque to Hounds for Heroes representative and war veteran Allen Parton, who was with his new dog EJ (Endal Junior).

Wheelchair-bound Allen, injured in a road crash while serving in the Army during the Gulf War, thanked the children and praised them for the amount of money had they raised.

Allen became well known a few years ago through his first assistance dog, Endal, who could operate a cash machine as well as help in myriad ways around the house.

Initially Hounds for Heroes set out to raise £100,000, which would pay for the first five labradors and their subsequent costs throughout their lives.

The Puppies on Parade Appeal was so successful that the charity has just started its fourth appeal to buy its latest squadron of cadets.

Hounds for Heroes already has one squadron of puppies in advanced training and two squadrons in basic training at its training base near Petersfield.

A Butts Primary School spokesman said that the pupils were thrilled to have raised money for such a worthy cause through singing Christmas carols.