THE home of one of Bolton's oldest schools may be on its way out, but the memories will always remain.

As it faces a new chapter in its history, Pikes Lane Junior School is opening its doors for one last time to past pupils on Saturday.

The special day will not only give the former pupils the chance to take a nostalgic look at their old school, but to raise money for the Christie Hospital Millennium Appeal Fund.

The aim of the fund is to raise £25 million by the start of the next century.

The search is also on to find the school's oldest surviving pupil before the buidlings are demolished.

Admission is £1 per person, and the event runs from 10am to 2pm.

A school spokesman said: "It gives people the chance to have one last look around the place while raising money for a good cause."

Work on a new £1.9 million replacement for the Victorian school is underway and builders, Allenbuild, hope to complete the project by December.

The modern single-storey T-shaped building will bring the existing split-site school onto one location.

Once it is built, there are further plans to connect it to existing playing fields.

The school has been at its existing sites for more than 100 years but is now set to move to the former Associated Plastics site.

A healthcare facility and housing will be built where the school now stands as part of the borough's Urban Regeneration Scheme.

Cllr Don Eastwood, chairman of the Education Committee, said: "Pikes Lane was one of the first board schools built in Bolton and was the beginning of state education.

"The school dates back to 1874 and because of that some of the buildings are derelict and now need replacing.

"The children will be getting a state-of-the-art school for the Millennium."

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