PUPILS at Coates Lane Primary School in Barnoldswick took on a special quest this week with the help of Lancashire Wildlife Trust.

The youngsters have been searching for the Forest of Pendle through a series of puzzles, games and trails based in the school grounds.

Activities were based on a new educational resource from the trust, entitled The Quest for Pendle Forest, which it is hoped will eventually be available to all Lancashire schools.

The forest theme has been chosen in an attempt to highlight the currently low percentage of woodland in Pendle -- approximately 2.5 per cent compared with ten per cent in Britain and a 25 per cent average for the rest of Europe.

Eileen Lodge, environment co-ordinator at the school, said: "The children have been doing various environmental things such as finding out what different animals eat or playing games with an environmental theme.

"The year five children were trialling the project and we will be using it next term and fitting it in to science, geography and PE."

The resource has been co-ordinated by the East Lancs Forest Education Initiative (FEI) and funded by Elwood, Lancashire County Council's Environmental Action Fund (LEAF) and Pendle Borough Council.