STARTING school can be one of the most stressful things a child can experience, as Kelly Warren found when she moved from Wales to Four Marks and her two children – Grayce, 11, and Olivia, eight – had to move schools.

At first one of her daughters “struggled” to settle in to Four Marks Primary School. But thanks to the teachers, who she said, “have been absolutely amazing” and the buddy friends scheme, she is enjoying school.

The “buddy scheme” is where a pupil, already at the school, is appointed to be a “buddy” to the child starting their first day to take them around, sit with them, and introduce them to other pupils.

As a thank you, Kelly and her partner, Robert, who are both in their 30s, are planning to climb three mountains in Wales – Snowdon, Cadair Idris and Pen Y Fan – on July 8, accompanied by their miniature Yorkshire terrier dogs, Betsey, Lucy and Rosie to rise money for a “buddy bench” for the school.

“When I contacted the school to see if they would like anything in return I was told about the ‘sit team’ – a group of children at the school raising money for the buddy benches, as they want children who find it hard to make friends to have a place to sit where they can find new friends so no child feels alone.”

Kelly and Robert decided to help them and also to do it as a personal challenge as Kelly has been on a weight-loss programme and has already lost five stone. She and her partner, who have been training at Alton Sports Centre, now feel that they are ready to undertake the 19-mile mountain walk.

They plan to have their children, Grayce and Olivia, and Robert’s daughter, Tiegan, climb the last mountain, Pen Y Fen, with them.

Asked how the dogs would cope, she said: “They already did a 17-mile walk with us and they loved it.”

The buddy benches cost £600 each, so Kelly is hoping to get a least one for the school.

Kelly and Robert are hoping to hire a minibus to take some of the children from the school to Wales to help them complete the walk.

If they get a good response and manage to buy the bench they would then to set up a charity to raise money to provide benches throughout other local schools.