ONE of the country's busiest theatre groups is about to start a new tour of schools in East Lancashire.

With giant props and mimes, jokes and "funny coloured hair", the CragRats will be using humour to get across a serious message about the choices faced by youngsters leaving school.

The theatre group has already toured schools last year but was judged to be such a success that the training agency ELTEC has asked them back for another season. They will be promoting the ELTEC-run XTEND training programme which allows young people to buy training leading to National Vocational Qualifications which help them get jobs, as well as the Modern Apprenticeship scheme.

ELTEC's education and training director Andy Fawcett said: "CragRats performances are a fun and interesting way to explain the choices pupils face when they leave school.

"Apart from making sure they receive the right messages about XTEND, the play also illustrates that leaving school is now far less of a worry than it used to be."

The CragRats are due to appear at 53 local schools in the coming months..

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