Once again it has been an exciting year at Arinagour Primary School, with not one but two school trips to report and also a success in a national competition. Read on for more details...

"Winning" Ways!

How does the song go again? "Fame! I'm gonna live forever..." The children of Arinagour Primary School could be justified in humming this to themselves in the bath for the next few weeks, since they have just won a national competition, launched by Iceland Frozen Foods and supported by Scotland Against Drugs, (there, got the plug in!) after compiling a storyboard for an anti-drug commercial.

For a few weeks before Christmas, the children plotted and planned to come up with a really original idea which would attract the attention of the judges. It worked and not long into the New Year, a phonecall was received in the Arinagour office (AKA the broom cupboard) to announce that we had won!

After much more plotting and planning we were on the march south, to Manchester no less, for an all expenses paid trip to see our storyboard being transformed into a proper TV ad, made by Vector Studios (another plug...).

The children were based at the Campanile Hotel in sunny Salford and from there we travelled far and wide, taking in the local places of interest. There was Jodrell Bank, a radio telescope station, where a planetarium show fascinated us all. We had a 'behind the scenes' visit to Old Trafford, where we were shown around by Stan, who told us all about the different strips the team wore, eg, the home strip, which was worn when the team played at home; the away strip which the team wore when they played away and the warm jackets which were to keep the team warm. Hmmmmm!

We also besieged the Museum of Science and Industry which was so vast we could have done with another fortnight... and that was just the shop!

All this time, we were the centre of media attention, particularly from local radio stations as well as 'Sky News' and BBC's 'Newsround', (autographs later please!). Sadly, there were no press from either of the two main Scottish news programmes... and us such a unique export too. The children seemed to enjoy all the `buzz.', coping wonderfully with the demands made on them by the frantic papparazzi! Many's the pupil who could be spotted deciding on which was their best side in the hotel bathroom mirror and clothes remained remarkably stain free on the Tuesday, which was STUDIO DAY!

At the studios of Vector television (plug No.2), we were treated to a rare insight into the way a TV commercial is made. For anyone who wants to know, the answer is... SLOWLY! After four hours of waiting patiently, filming had still not begun. However, the Green Power Ranger materialised to present us with our camcorder and the children had a great time soaking up the atmosphere ( as well as the juice, crisps, lunch etc!).

We had so many adventures en route, both going and coming back, that t'would take another 6 issues of the Coll Mag to write them all down, but we eventually staggered down the gangplank at the end of our six day trip, and fell to our knees kissing the concrete, happy to return safely to our families.

We would like to thank the following:
1. Lorna Webster, our PR agent who co-ordinated the nitty gritty of the trip.
2. The Campanile Hotel Chain.
3. Highland Country Buses in Fort William ( best to ask for Ricky the driver).
4. The Kelvin Hotel ( who went to enormous efforts to accommodate us in all our complexities).
5. Arden Youth Hostel at Loch Lomond.
6. Steven Clayton of Scotland Against Drugs, for his donations of pin-badges and his support with our first brush with live radio!
7. All at Vector Studios (was that another plug?)
8. The staff of Old Trafford, for their enthusiasm.
9. The West Highlander and Paddlewheel restaurants of Tyndrum and Inverary respectively, for catering services.
10. Iceland Frozen Foods, for giving us the opportunity to play our part in drug awareness and for paying the core of our expenses, as well as the many parents, friends and associations who helped us finance what became a monster of a final bill by their efforts in fundraising, large or small.

Finally - yes it is the end now - I would personally like to thank Carole Evans, Fay and Frank Anderson and Boyd Barr for their utter devotion to the children while we were away in unfamiliar territory. For anyone who has NOT been away with fourteen children, who would apparently keel over if an infusion of nosh was not forthcoming every ten minutes, or for whom the experience of staying away from home with lots of their friends in one big room together is not a commonplace event, please do not be alarmed if the said adults collapse behind their fridges on return!

The last 'Thank-you' must go to the children without whose creativity this would not have been possible... Ruth Mackie, Erin Carle, Laura Oliphant, Faye Munro, Helena Porrelli, Robbie Payne, Andrew Fraser and Donald Munro.

Watch out for a photograph album and a happy family at Christmas on your TV soon, as well as further appearances on 'Skoosh', the children's magazine programme on Sundays (ITV).

"Fame! I'm gonna live forever, I'm gonna learn how to fly...!