Katy Holland: Raising money for schools and not a cremated muffin in sight

Are we there yet? An innovative new holiday club

Trouble at the school gates this week. I've been voted Worst Ever Class Rep, not least because of the terrible pickle I got into last time I was left in charge of a fundraising cake stall. (I'll spare you the details, but they involved cremated muffins.)

My sense of failure as a professional parent has been compounded by an email sent to me by dad-of-three Tim Knight, who is doing sterling work raising money for his school. Instead of slaving away over complicated fairy cake recipes, he and his mates (also dads) have got together to launch their very own business: a travel website that donates some of its profits to cash-strapped schools.

The idea behind School Holiday Club (0844 7701656; www.schoolholidayclub.co.uk), which launched last week, is simple. Book one of the thousands of family holidays on the site, choose which school you'd like to donate the commission to (register your own child's school if it's not already on the list), and off you go.

It doesn't cost you a single extra penny, and Tim estimates that each booking could make between £50 and £100 for your school. The site searches family tour operators both large and small; all holidays are protected by Abta or Atol, and you get a team of friendly advisers on the end of the phone to help you find your family holiday.

I'm impressed, Tim: it beats running a burnt cake stall any day.