Caring kids at a Johnstone nursery were inspired to help other children after being touched by the plight of victims of Hurricane Irma.

Youngsters at St Margaret’s Primary School learned about natural disasters as part of a recent project and wanted to do their bit to support those caught up in the widespread destruction caused by the Caribbean storm.

In particular, nursery pupils Liam Crumpton and Maisie Leitch, both aged four, hoped to help those affected by Hurricane Irma by starting a charity collection.

Maisie said: “I took my daddy’s pennies from his car and put them in our box to help the people who don’t have anything.

“Their houses got blew down. I want them to have toys.”

Liam added: “They need new houses and clean water.”

Children at the nursery transformed a large box into their own ‘bank’ to collect loose change, with more than £80 being raised.

This has now been donated to Unicef, which is the world’s leading organisation working to help children in danger.

Unicef fundraisers said a donation of just £23 can provide a child with ready-to-go food for a month, while £58 can pay for an emergency water and hygiene kit for two families in an emergency.

Hurricane Irma left a trail of destruction after hitting the Caribbean in September last year, with dozens of people killed and many thousands more left homeless.

It first struck the dual-island nation of Antigua and Barbuda.

St Martin – an island that comprises the French territory of Saint-Martin and the Dutch section Sint-Maarten – also suffered terrible damage.

British overseas territories Anguilla and the British Virgin Islands were also caught in the extreme weather.

The hurricane then headed to America, where around seven million homes were left without power.

The states of Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Alabama were worst hit.

For more information about Unicef and how the charity helps children in danger, visit the website at www.unicef.org.uk.