WHEN Beacon Hill Primary School teacher Dave Crew asked his year six pupils to write their versions of Shakespeare’s Macbeth, one student, Ralph turned it into a comedy to make the story more accessible.

Copies of his giggle-inducing tale, including illustrations, were printed and sold to raise money for the National Autistic Society and Action for A-T.

Ralph said: “I suffer from autism myself, so I understand what it feels like to be misunderstood and I want to raise awareness of it, Action for A-T is a charity trying to find a cure for Ataxia Telangiectasia, a condition which, among other things, causes muscle difficulty

“I have a friend who suffers with it.”

Ralph was thrilled to raise £56 and over the moon when he received a Blue Peter badge after writing to the BBC TV programme enclosing a copy of his comic Macbeth and explaining the reason he had written it.

Mr Crew said: “I am so proud of Ralph, not only for his incredibly entertaining version of Macbeth but for his thought for others. He has worked with determination both to make a piece of Shakespeare accessible to a wide audience and to raise money for two worthwhile charities.”