YOUNGSTERS at St Joseph's Primary School, Darwen, are looking forward to returning to school after the Easter holidays to continue a 12-month lottery funded project.

Working with Groundwork Blackburn, and Darwen-based Akzo Nobel, children at the Limes Avenue school have been looking into the history of the town and more closely at the work of Akzo Nobel.

The project, called The Past On Your Doorstep, The Future in Your Hands, was set up with a £50,000 Lottery cash grant to boost history, geography, numeracy and literacy skills.

On May 19, representatives from Groundwork are hoping to take a group of Year Six pupils to interview pensioners who used to work at Akzo Nobel to find out more about their work and how it affected their lives.

July 8 sees an open day at St Joseph's to which all participants in the project and parents will be invited to see what the youngsters have been doing since the project started last year.

The school's new Crown Garden, created by the children as a permanent reminder of their part in the project, will also be officially opened during the open day.

There will be a display of the children's work in Darwen Library's exhibition room from July 9 to 30.