Public and private secondary schools across the island have been awarded a total of $240,000 for charity work carried out by their pupils.

PartnerRe, the Hamilton-based reinsurer, donated $30,000 to eight of the island’s schools through its Dollars for Hours programme.

The cash will go towards curriculum development, building upgrades, pupil support programmes, extracurricular activities and IT improvements.

Pupils from the schools were asked to help a range of charities.

The Bermuda Institute helped organise a thrift shop for cancer charity Pals, Mount Saint Agnes pupils did yard work, painting and met seniors at Pembroke’s Westmeath rest home and Saltus Grammar School supported the petting zoo at Windreach, an outdoor centre for the disabled.

Warwick Academy helped housing charity Habitat Bermuda with the Pembroke Rest Home refurbishment, Bermuda High School worked with Phenomenal People on a non-fiction book project and Somersfield Academy helped the Bermuda International Film Festival.

Pupils from the Berkeley Institute built special furniture for the Reading Clinic in Hamilton and CedarBridge Academy helped the Bermuda Audubon Society with their bluebird nest project.

The schools were given their donations at a ceremony held at the Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute near Hamilton on Tuesday night, where some of their work was on display.

Jamie Masters McDowell, PartnerRe’s brand manager, said pupils had raised almost $3 million for their schools through Dollars for Hours over the past 13 years.

They have also donated 26,600 hours of work to charity.

She said: “Bermuda has been our home for the last 25 years and we feel that we have a special responsibility to give back to the community.

“Education is something very important to us as a company.

“Dollars for Hours is an initiative that connects everyone. Schools, students, the community, and ultimately our local Bermuda charities.

Jason Hayward, Junior Minister of Education, thanked the pupils for their hard work and PartnerRe for its support of education.

Mr Hayward said: “$3 million of investment in our school system is absolutely phenomenal.

“This initiative is a win-win for all. The schools win, the charities win, the volunteers win and our overall community wins.”

He told the pupils: “I have walked around, I viewed the exhibits, and I am absolutely impressed with the level of work you have done.

“We want your hard work to not end after this particular initiative, but for you to continue to give back to the community.”