On the march . . . led by the Smithills School band pupils, staff and friends of Oxford Grove School march to their new home

CHILDREN from a from a Bolton school marched into a new millennium with a procession from the old to the new. Crowds lined the streets as children, staff and parents from Oxford Grove CP proudly marched along Shepherd's Cross Street to their new school. Smithills School brass band led the way and local dignitaries such as MP David Crausby also joined in the walk to the new multi million pound school, library and community centre.

The march echoed the traditional opening of Oxford Grove in 1904 when pupils walked from St Luke's and Shepherd Cross Street schools to their new amalgamated primary.

Present day teachers spotted a record of the original walk in the old school log book and agreed it would be a good way of celebrating Oxford Grove's second new beginning.

Ellen Bracegirdle, 86, has lived across the road from the school all her life and went along to join in the celebrations and say goodbye to the school she attended decades ago.

She is believed to be the oldest surviving former pupil and has fond memories of a time when the old school was considered new and modern and attracted visiting groups to use its facilities.

But today's children did not seem too sad to leave behind the now dilapidated building and march to a brand new purpose built school in the brand new bright, red uniforms.

Parent governor and mum-of-five Joanne Hurst explained: "At least now they will be warm in winter and cool in summer.

"The old school does have some lovely features but it is well past its sell by date. There are some classrooms that are colder inside than outside and in winter there were buckets to collect leaking water all over the school."

Headteacher Paul Kelly said he, his staff and pupils can hardly believe they are finally moving into the new building.

"You can just see in the children's faces how excited they are," he said. "We have been waiting for two years and now it's here, we can hardly believe its happened. It's a whole new beginning for the school."

At the end of the march, Rev Andy Brown of St Luke's blessed the new building and education chief and Chair of the governors, Cllr Linda Thomas, cut a ribbon to open it.

She said: "We have waited an awful long time for this new school and a few of us are still pinching ourselves now that it is finally here."

As watching builders tidied away tools needed for the last minute finishing touches, children and parents flooded in through the doors to check the new school facilities before officially starting classes today.

Joanne Hurst's six-year-old son Nicholas said: "It's good; the rooms are big and there's a really big field for us to play on."