GWEN STEFANI - STEFANI SETS UP STUDENT SCHEME

Gwen Stefani has set up a scholarship fund to help those students affected by the October forest fires in the US state of California.

The west coast state was declared to be in an emergency condition as the blazes, which forced evacuations from homes and destroyed hundreds of acres of property, raged for days.

Speaking to local paper the San Diego Union-Tribune, the 38-year-old singer said the fund would benefit those who were now homeless or whose source of income had been affected by the destruction caused by the forest fires.

The If I Was A Rich Girl star said: "When I heard about the devastation of the fires, at first I felt I should cancel my [San Diego] show out of respect. But then it occurred to me there might be a more useful solution."

She added she had personally made a donation of $160,000 (£80,000) to the Gwen Stefani After-the-Fires Scholarship scheme, while asking for further pledges towards the charity.