DAVID Bellamy dug in to launch work on a £400,000 building project at an Accrington school.

The nature expert cut the first piece of turf at the site of a new two-storey science laboratory at St Christopher's CE High School's Queen's Road West campus.

Dr Bellamy, botanist and environmentalist, was guest of honour at the Lancashire Evening Telegraph's Grimewatch awards, held at the school.

He accepted an offer to do some spadework for the new building during his visit.

The extension will also house a classroom for religious education, a connecting corridor and extra dining facilities.

Staff at the school are delighted the work has finally got under way and hope the building will be completed in time for the autumn term. The board of governors was asked to find 15 per cent of the £400,000 building fee, and the rest came in government grants via the education authority. Deputy head Peter Martin said: "Dr Bellamy was happy to start the work and extremely pleased that we are providing a new science lab, because it is something close to his heart. We desperately need the new building to house some of our growing number of pupils. The extension will provide another 56 places."

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