OWLS about that then! Pupils at Lytham St Annes High School came face to face with five feathered friends recently during a week of seasonal activities.

The birds were taken to the Worsley Road school one lunchtime during Hallowe'en week by owl sanctuary manager Andrew Rushton from Colne.

Pupils and teachers were able to meet the birds face to face and even let them perch on their arms. The visitors included a barn owl, tawny owl and a big European eagle owl.

The visit was organised by head of Learning Resources Penny Kaluza. She said: "The eagle owl was absolutely huge with a six-foot wingspan. It was quite exciting!

"About 100 children and teachers came to see the owls. They had never seen anything like this at such close quarters before."

She said the event was part of a week of cross-curricular activities, with follow-on work to make it educational as well as fun.

Alongside its Hallowe'en theme, the event was also tied in with the Harry Potter stories.

"It was all designed to try and encourage pupils to read and show that the library is a fun place where you can learn," she said.

And the fun won't be stopping there. "We have got a read-athon coming up and we have children's author Martin Riley coming in, who has been writing the television version of The Worst Witch," she added.

"There's lots to look forward to."