A HIGH school hopes to mark its 40th anniversary with the revival of an acclaimed musical that saw 190 pupils jet off to New York in 1988 and perform alongside rock star Sting.

Youngsters from St Augustine's RC High School in Billington hope to hit the high note next July when they take to the stage in a revival of Yanomamo at King George's Hall, Blackburn.

Bosses at the Catholic high school were keeping tight-lipped about the possibility of a celebrity narrator for the special one-off performance.

The 40th anniversary celebrations will also include a fundraising reunion night and gala ball to boost the school's bid for technology status.

The school has to raise £50,000 to achieve special status from the Government and a grant of £500,000 over four years from the Department for Education. Half the £50,000 must come from local businesses and the rest from private donations and school fundraising.

Yanomamo was penned by St Augustine's head of music Peter Rose and Anne Conlon, assistant head teacher at SS Fisher More High School, Colne.

The award-winning choral musical about the destruction of the rainforest was commissioned by the Worldwide Fund for Nature.

Pupils from the school performed it at the World Finance Centre, New York, and the Kennedy Centre, Washington, where Sting, a keen environmentalist, joined them as narrator.

St Augustine's headteacher Anthony MacNamara said: "We are looking forward to a revival of the musical as the climax to our anniversary".