DONNA Surridge decided to mark her 50th birthday a little differently this year.

Along with the help and support of her colleagues and all the pupils at Ysgol Sant Baruc, Donna decided to help raise money for Marie Curie.

So far Donna has taken part in a Swimathon, swimming 100 lengths, raising £200 and organised a disco for the Ysgol Sant Baruc's children in the school hall raising £401.

Donna said: "As I suffer with re-occurring skin cancer, I strongly believe that it’s important to help these charities so that people can seek help when its needed, and to raise awareness of the wonderful work undertaken by Marie Curie and all their volunteers.’"

Donna continued: "I’d like to thank the parents, staff and pupils of Ysgol Sant Baruc for supporting me through my personal battle with skin cancer. I’d also like to pay tribute to my auntie Shirley who raised thousands of pounds for Marie Curie and she has inspired me to do the same. I will continue to do all I can to raise money for this amazing charity and to urge others to join in any way they can."

Georgina Burke, community fundraiser at the Cardiff and Vale Hospice - Marie Curie, said: "This donation will help us support patients with terminal illnesses and their families locally. We offer a number of different services from the hospice including in-patient wards, day therapy unit, a helper service and carers service."