YOUNG birdwatchers from a Blackburn school will be able to monitor wildlife using the latest technology.

Blackamoor Special School has won a Viglen multimedia computer in a national competition run by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.

The competition asked schools to identify four natural habitats which were under threat from human activity.

Blackamoor - which was shortlisted in this year's Lancashire Evening Telegraph Grimewatch awards for the wildlife habitats within its grounds - came out top.

John Owen, Blackamoor's environmental education co-ordinator, said: "Winning the computer means that we will be able to record and monitor bird sightings and the occurrence of wildflowers in a more scientific manner."

Barrie Cooper, RSPB's regional education advisor, said: "Environmental education is a very important part of the school curriculum and Blackamoor Special School has an excellent reputation for the quality of its school grounds and the stimulus it provides to its pupils."

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