Warm-hearted Cubs kept their mouths shut tight for 45 minutes during a sponsored silence as they raised hundreds of pounds for patients with life-limiting conditions.

The silence, together with a recent Christmas carol evening, raised a total of £414.15 for The South Bucks Community Hospice, based at Butterfly House in High Wycombe.

Every member of the 16th High Wycombe (All Saints) Cub Pack refused to utter a sound throughout the charity challenge at John Wood Scout Centre.

Ben O’Keefe, community fundraiser for Butterfly House, popped into the scout centre to collect the cheque.

He said: “It really was a terrific effort from the Cubs and we are enormously grateful to them for doing this for us.”

Shelagh Sheppard, the Cub Pack’s Akela, was also thrilled by their efforts.

“There was not a squeak out of them for the whole time. They were so good, and you literally could have heard a pin drop – it was wonderful,” she said.

“We choose a charity each year to raise money for, and this time we picked the hospice because it has just moved and is close to us, and we felt it needed the publicity and the money.”

During the silence, some of the Cubs read, while others enjoyed artwork or just relaxing, lying down on a pillow.

Meanwhile, the Cub Pack has asked the community near The Rye in High Wycombe if anyone has space in their garage or shed to store the group’s camping equipment.

This currently must be kept in a stable in Denham because there is nowhere else for them to put it.