A KENDAL school is switching to sustainable power thanks to a £5,000 grant and hard work from its teachers and staff.

Sandgate School at Sandylands will soon be fitting high-tech solar panels and wind turbines to help generate energy for the school's computers and other electrical equipment.

And when the school is empty at weekends, school holidays and even before the school day starts, energy will be sent to the national grid to provide extra cash for the school.

The grant from Cumbria County Council's Local Agenda 21 fund, has enabled the school to pay for hi tech solar panels.

The project will also be used as an educational tool for the special school, which caters for 59 youngsters with a range of special educational needs, ranging from severe to profound learning difficulties.

Teacher, Dan Hinton and sixth formers from Sandgate have also been busy building their own wind turbine (illustrated) with help from students and staff from Settlebeck School, Sedbergh.

Mr Hinton said he hoped that the school would become even more reliant on sustainable energy in the future "Our aim is for Sandgate to become able to generate all its own renewable power in the next three years," he said.

"It's thanks to the backing of the head teacher the help of the county council's sustainability team, the grant and the help of Settlebeck School that this project has been possible."

Councillor Lawson Short, CCC cabinet spokesman on the environment described the project as "fantastic."

"This is exactly the sort of thing Local Agenda 21 grants are meant for. Not only will the project reduce the school's need for non-renewable energy from the national grid, it will also teach the next generation about the importance of environment, our impact on it and the urgent need to find sustainable sources of energy," he said.