MORE than 200 former pupils and staff swapped stories from across the world at the first reunion at Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School, Blackburn, for several years.

The event attracted former pupils from throughout the UK and even two from the west of Canada, Dr Alan Lomax and Dr Roger Pilkington.

And for many visitors, some of whom had not visited the campus since 1930, it was a chance to catch up on old stories and all the changes.

The school also formally opened its new £100,000 Modern Languages Laboratory, and its Early Years department, which provides for boys and girls aged 4 to 6.

Chairman of Governors, Mr Christopher Haworth, performed the opening ceremony which was accompanied by a release of red and blue balloons, each with a tag bearing the name of a child currently attending QEGS in Early Years.

"We were delighted with the response to the weekend, especially from those who now live away from the Blackburn area," said Development Director, Phil Lloyd. "It's a measure of how strongly so many former pupils of QEGS feel about their school that they were willing to travel such distances to join the occasion and already we are being asked when the next reunion will be arranged!"