Gamers take charity to the next level

A 24-HOUR gaming session is set to return for the second year to raise money for the Sick Kids Hospital.

Sick Kids Save Point, which last year helped to raise over 7,000 for charity, will take place between October 7 and 9.

Hardcore gamers are invited to play their consoles non-stop for 24 hours to raise the cash. Participants aged under 18 clock up hours over the course of the weekend working in teams or as a family.

Event founder and organiser, local actor Tom Freeman, said: "It's a great opportunity to play games, save kids and maybe win some goodies, but also a chance to show the world that gamers aren't just anti-social nerds. I'd like to build Sick Kids Save Point into a regular event, and this year we already have people signing up from Peebles to Inverness. I'm hoping we can raise 10,000 and take the game to the next level.

"Last year I was blown away by the response from gamers from Edinburgh and beyond."

Interested gamers can sign up at the Sick Kids Save Point blog http://sickkidssavepoint.blogspot.com, which will also act as the central hub for the event. All fund raising is through Just Giving.