Ten teachers got a soaking on Friday as Alva Academy kick-started its fundraising campaign for Macmillan Cancer Support.

Almost the entire school turned out to watch the staff, from a mixture of departments, have buckets of ice cold water poured over them as part of the #IceBucketChallenge sweeping through social media.

Participants must pour a bucket of ice water over their heads within the space of 48 hours of being nominated and donate £3 to the charity. For anyone that wimps out on the challenge the ‘fine’ is a £10 donation.

The challenge has proved popular in the USA with celebrities and politicians donating to ALS, a Motor Neurone Disease charity.

In the UK participants have been donating to various causes including the Motor Neurone Disease Association and Macmillan.

David Clifford, music teacher and member of the charity committee, said, “It just so happens that ten of us had been nominated in the last 48 hours and rather than do it at home we decided to do it as a group event and use it as one of our first fundraising events of the [school] year.” S6 pupils went around the school asking staff and pupils for donations to turnout to watch the soaking which raised a total of £579 for the charity.

David added, “Virtually the whole school turned out to watch. As soon as the first bucket went over the whole place erupted. It was absolutely freezing but for a good cause.” Last year the school raised more than £25,000 for Macmillan through its annual coffee morning and other fundraising activities.

The figure saw them break through the £100,000 barrier for the charity – the first school in the UK to do so.

Pupils will again be daring themselves to raise cash, from bungee jumps to abseils and even swimming the length of the Ochils.

This year’s coffee morning will take place on Friday, 26 September, and will be open to the public from 10am to 12pm.