A charity supporting LGBT people in east London was chosen as the recipient of a £3,000 donation after pupils argued its case in a school project.

The East London Out Project (ELOP) will receive the cash after pupils at Frederick Bremer School in Siddeley Road, Walthamstow, persuaded judges to pick the charity as part of a philanthropy project.

The 13 and 14-year-olds worked in groups with a chosen charity each and discovered what differences they made to the area.

The groups then made their presentations before six judges including Cllr Clare Coghill, cabinet member for children’s services.

Pupils Saoirse Finnegan, Sheneil Francis and Claire Armstrong beat eight other groups to win the Youth Philanthropy Initiative (YPI) after they impressed the judges and the school’s audience of around 100 staff and parents with their arguments.

ELOP, of Grove Road in Walthamstow, supports LGBT people through a range of support services including counselling and seeks to increase the community’s understanding of issues facing them.

Teacher Sue Parker, head of cultural studies at the school, said: “The evening was a great success and a testament to all of the hard work that the year nine students and Cultural Studies team has put into this project. I am really pleased with the outcome.”