A MARTIAL arts instructor has taught children the importance of helping others by donating to charity.

Gavin Eastham, of Cobra Life Family Martial Arts, asked his members to get involved with Wear it Pink on October 19, aiming to raise awareness of breast cancer.

All members were asked to wear a pink belt throughout the October month and donate to Cancer Research UK.

The instructor and one of his pupils, Jacob Hughes, donated a total of £91.25 to the charity via the Shotton shop on Sunday afternoon where they were thanked by staff.

He said: "The fact the children understand that by donating money they can help save lives led them to bringing in the smallest of change from their piggy banks.

"I was touched by their selflessness to give and their pride at wearing the pink belts to show they care. The fact is every ten minutes a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer in the UK.

"Half of us will hear the words 'I'm sorry, you have cancer' at some point in our lives. Thanks to research, cancer survival has doubled in the last 40 years, with one in two now beating their disease.

"But there is still so much to do. Every two minutes someone receives the devastating news they have cancer. Sadly, half of them will lose their battle with the disease.

"Cancer Research UK are the world's leading charity dedicated to beating cancer through research. They're accelerating progress, to see three in four people survive cancer within 20 years.

"They receive no government funding for their research. Every step they make towards beating cancer depends on every pound, every hour, every person."