Nicola La Grue and Kevo (Thunder) Metcalf took their 'Legend' racing cars to Bridstow Primary on Sunday morning, where a fair was held to raise funds for the school.

These cars may look tiny but, made in California and powered by Yamaha FJ 1200 motorcycle engines, they are regularly raced at speeds of 110 miles per hour.

Nicola La Grue, from Bridstow, who is comparatively new to 'Legend' racing, performed very well at Mallory park in Leicestershire recently, finishing all three races and this week will be racing again at Donnington.

To raise funds for the school, table sales were held in the school hall, children were allowed to sit in Nicola's 'Legend' and Kevo's yellow 'Legend' was filled with balloons for a 'How many balloons in the taxi' competition.

The competition was won by John Ralphs and approximately £160 was raised in total for the school.

After a seven and a half hour flight a group of twenty-four students and three teachers from The John Kyrle sixth form centre arrived at JFK airport for five days to learn about international relations and to seize the opportunity to explore the Big Apple.

After a welcome night's sleep we went on a bus tour to see the magnificent sights that the city had to offer. At the Islamic Centre we learned about Muslims in America and were given the chance to go to a mosque, which for most of us was a first experience. We were greeted by an Imam who spoke to us about Islam and answered questions on a large variety of issues. Our next stop was the United Nations Headquarters where we learnt about the UN, the critical role of the Peace Keepers, the Security Council and human rights.

In the afternoon we visited the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) with its paintings by Van Gough, Picasso, Dali and many other artists.

Ground Zero was very thought provoking; the very site that we had all seen news footage of in 2001 was where we were standing; right where all the catastrophic events took place. We also visited the church opposite ground Zero which was used as a refuge for rescue workers; the church was full of thank you letters and cards from people that had lost loved ones in 9/11. Mid afternoon we were met by a tour guide, who took us

around Harlem, the industrial part of the city. We saw famous places such as the Cotton Club, Apollo Theatre and learnt the history of the area.

The last day in New York was the day where we could go to The Natural History Museum. The famous museum made you feel as though you were travelling back in time. With terrifying dinosaurs the height of the building, ancient tribes dressed in their elaborate costumes, the huge animals that now look so different, the sea life, the birds, cowboys and Indians all under one roof. Central park was opposite the Natural History Museum, so a walk though it was just too appealing.

This scary looking monster was found in Weston-under-Penyard by Lyn Hill-Escort on Wednesday last. As you can see, it is pretty large. Another, even larger specimen has also been seen in Ross but not caught.

Evidently, from research which Jay Hill, Landlord of the Prince of Wales pub has been undertaking over the past week, the markings are not quite those of an ordinary or even a queen wasp or those of a hornet. Jay is wondering if it is one of a type of wasp which has been arriving recently on the South Coast, from Africa due to the warmer climate we have been experiencing of late.

Are there any experts out there with the answer? If so, please email and I will publish the answer in a future 'Wyenot News'.

Bridstow Primary School now has it's very own Nature Reserve created on what was once unused and untended land to the rear of the school building. The transformation started around two and a half years ago with the planting of some native trees around what was then a muddy, overgrown pond.

With building work being done on the school to create a Library, the whole outlook towards the rear of the school changed as windows and doors were put into the back wall and, all of a sudden, everyone could see what was behind the school!! The view over the fields towards Bridstow village and St. Bridget's church is wonderful, but was spoiled. by the view immediately outside the new back door of the school.

Continued . . .

Rose Kibble, a professional gardener and a parent of two children at the school, started work to clear the area and create a wildlife garden. First of all, she stripped away the old turf and replaced this with grass containing wildflowers. This is known as a "Nectar Bar" and would be a magnet for butterflies and bees.

Rose then dug out the existing pond, removing the invasive species of plants that had clogged it and carefully restocked it with plants that would be attractive to view as well as attractive to wildlife. Her hard work has paid off as the pond now has frogs and smooth newts living in it quite happily.

The children at Bridstow have also been very busy making their school as green and eco-friendly as possible. They have a wormery, log piles as housing for all sorts of creepy crawlies and two compost bins. The children also recently planted thirty native trees, donated by the Woodland Trust under their "Trees for All" campaign, along the top edge of their playing field.

Continued . . .

The school also has plans to create an outdoor classroom alongside their wildlife garden so that children can enjoy the peace and quiet outside in the fresh air whilst still doing their lessons.

Rose Kibble has also been responsible for setting up a Gardening Club at the school run by her on a Monday afternoon after school. This has proved so popular that if any more children ask to join, there may have to be a waiting list! The young gardeners have planted pots and containers around the school grounds and are soon going to start work on some raised beds in which they will grow their own vegetables. They grow everything from seed and hope to be able to sell any excess produce to raise funds to buy further equipment and seeds for the Gardening Club.

'My aim is to not only make Gardening Club self-sufficient,' explained Rose 'But also to encourage the children to think about where their food comes from and to hopefully make more healthy choices with the food they eat.'

In all of the work done at the school, Rose has been very generously supported by the Garden Store, Ross Farm Feeds, Walford Timber and Pengethley Nurseries, all of whom have donated items used either in the wildlife garden or by the Gardening Club.

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