YOU'VE got to hand it to them . . . caring pupils shared their views with Euro MP Gary Titley on how much children in the developing world are missing by not having an education.

Children, aged between five and 10, and from St Bernard's, Claypool, Chorley New Road, St Catherine's and St Thomas of Canterbury schools in Bolton drew life size hands on which they wrote down their aspirations for the future.

The hands were then presented to the MEP at Bolton Arena, where the children were helping to launch Oxfam-Northwest's Global Campaign for Education.

The hands were meant to signify what children in developing countries who cannot have an education are missing out on.

Mr Titley was then quizzed by St Joseph's and Rivington and Blackrod High School pupils about funding available for the education of third world youngsters. The 'hands' presented to Mr Titley included a range of dreams. Nine-year-old Olivia Partington, a St Thomas of Canterbury pupil, said: "On my hand I wrote that I wanted to be a beautician to the stars, and have a nice husband and family."

The pupils were told by Oxfam that 115 million children are denied the right to an education -- of which 66 million are girls.

HANDS UP: Pupils from schools across Bolton presented handprints to MEP Gary Titley