A GROUP of teenagers have raised more than £1,000 for a cancer charity after taking part in a 24-hour video gaming marathon.

The 13 boys, who all go to Hedingham School in Sible Hedingham, have so far raised £1,327 for national cancer charity Macmillan Cancer Support.

The group, who are all aged between 13 and 16, raised the money after holding the epic challenge from 6pm on April 17 until 6pm on April 18.

They are made up of Ben Styman-Heighton, Alfie Parker, Jacob Marshall, Jamie Hall, Harry Ellison-Oakes, Ben Greengrass, Jack Gill, Lewis Pettigrew, Chris Wrigley-Brookes, Alistair Groves, Ed Cutmore, Henry Mcarthur and Alfie Young.

They hatched the ambitious idea after a message from Jamie Hall to the boys’ group chat.

Macmillan is one of the nation’s biggest charities, offering specialist health care, information and financial support to people affected by cancer.

The teenagers are all too aware of the charity’s work, with many of them having family members who have been supported by the charity.

They all thought MacMillan was a worthy cause and decided to do their best to raise funds for the charity.

Ben Styman-Heighton’s mum Shelly said: “They set their Paypal page with a target of £1k and then advertised it through social media for donations.

“With the aid of social media across the families, soon the donations were flowing in.

“This truly spurred the boys on to continue and made them more determined to continue.

“My son said ‘Mum – we never expected to raise that much’.

“The parents were all so amazed by everyone’s generosity across the many family and friends who supported them, considering the constraints and challenges that people are having to deal with at this time with Covid-19.

“As parents I think we were concerned about the noise levels through the night, but all the boys were respectful at this time.

“Plenty of food and drink was needed to keep them going.

“This is a real testament to their friendship and the support that they have given each other with coming to terms with their new normal.”

The boys played countless games of Call of Duty, Fifa and more favourites throughout the 24 hours.

Donations to their Paypal page are still pouring in after the event.

To donate, visit paypal.com/pools/c/8o7476TCFF.