MUFFINS were a hot item at a Basingstoke junior school’s bake-off as part of UNICEF’s Day for Change.

The charity’s fundraising appeal asked schools to make a change in their day in return for a donation to the charity.

Each year, the Day for Change focuses on a different aspect of UNICEF’s work, and this year the theme was food.

The charity supports vital nutrition work to help starving children around the world, providing them with nutritious meals so they are strong enough to attend school and break the cycle of poverty.

At Merton Junior School, pupils held a baking competition, where a representative from each year group joined a teacher and learning support assistant to bake muffins, watched by the rest of the school.

The cakes were then judged by a school governor and the caretaker, who blind-tasted the muffins and selected a winner, before they were sold off, contributing to the £130 raised for UNICEF.

After much deliberation, the judges chose the team led by Helen Palmer, the headteacher, as the winners.

Children were also allowed to come to school dressed as their favourite food or dish and to donate £1 for the privilege.

Cara Newman, Year 4 team leader at the school, in Romsey Close, Popley, said: “The bake-off was all organised by the school council and they decided to do something a bit different.”