A Rydal Penrhos Prep School pupil raised a significant amount from an online fundraiser for a prominent North Wales tourist attraction.

Robyn Borg-Barthet, a Year 5 pupil at Rydal Penrhos, wanted to do her part to help the Welsh Mountain Zoo in Colwyn Bay.

They are currently undergoing financial hardship due to restrictions surrounding the coronavirus pandemic.

This has left the zoo unable to open its doors for more than three months, but the popular venue is set to reopen in a socially distanced manner in the not-too-distant future.

Jen Jesse, director of operations and administration at the Welsh Mountain Zoo, said: “This is fantastic news for us. The past three months have been incredibly challenging and we now feel that there is finally some light at the end of the tunnel.

“We made the decision on March 22 to close our gates, in order to be socially responsible, and to support efforts to minimise the spread of the Coronavirus as much as we possibly could. It’s now great to see that the R rate has been dropping in recent weeks.

“The five-mile travel restrictions set in place and the advice to stay local have meant that it would not be financially viable for the zoo to reopen. However, with these restrictions shortly being lifted, this will allow visitors from a wider catchment to visit once we reopen.”

This is a cause that captured Robyn’s heart, and she enlisted the help of her mother for a Facebook fundraiser than initially set a target of £300.

Robyn also came up with two creative drawings surrounding some interesting facts regarding zoo animals for the project, which exceeded its target thanks to a wealth of donations.

This is the latest in a series of positive community initiatives from Rydal Penrhos pupils during the lockdown, with Year 6 skiing star Cameron Pye on the verge of completing his challenge to scale the equivalent of Mount Everest using stairs at his home to raise money for the zoo.