HUNDREDS of people are expected to take part in a Kendal primary school's Golden Jubilee celebrations, reports Lisa Frascarelli.

The PTA of Ghyllside Primary School has planned an ambitious schedule to mark the 50-year milestone on Tuesday (October 8) with an afternoon of events for pupils, parents and staff.

The event will see the formal opening of the school's new Community Development Centre - a meeting room which can be hired out, as well as the well-established computer suite - a 1,000 golden balloon release, a tree and time capsule planting and the formal opening of the £15,000 adventure playground by a mystery lycra-clad 'super-hero'.

Head teacher Mark Woodburn is looking forward to the big day: "The open day is really a day for the pupils, parents and the staff.

It is about celebrating 50 years of Ghyllside and it is going to be a wonderful day for everyone."

The milestone has also marked the school delving into its past, looking through historical annals and searching for former staff to try to build up a picture of how things used to be when the school opened to pupils in September 1952.

Mr Woodburn explained that tracing the past had proved to be an interesting but arduous task as original members of staff had died and memories had faded since the school was formally opened on May 16, 1953, by the then Minister for Education Florence Horsburgh.

Back then the newly-built school was for infants only, housed six classrooms - there are now 14 - and was called Kirkbarrow School.

Former staff at the school decided on the new name Ghyllside when the school became a primary school later on in the 1950s

Mr Woodburn explained that building up a picture of the past had uncovered the mystery of a missing time capsule buried in the school's grounds to mark its 25th anniversary.

" We have been searching for the time capsule which we thought was planted under the silver jubilee tree, but that turned out to be a ruse to stop people digging it up.

Since meeting up with former staff we think it is hiding somewhere in the adventure playground."

Mr Woodburn believes that there are two people who may hold the key to the mystery - an ex-maintenance worker Colin Simpson, who he thinks lives in Burneside, and former secretary Olive Gordon.

"We have not got an awful lot of archive material and would love to hear from anyone who has," he said.

Ghyllside is a school keen on hanging on to its history and the jubilee has inspired the school to try to learn more about its past as an on-going project.

Plans for the future include an open day for past pupils and staff on June 23, 2003

Anyone who has any Ghyllside School memorabilia should contact the school on 01539-773624.