THE sun shone on South Harting last week as a new solar power device was unveiled at a primary school in front of governors, children and parents.
Ben Law, who has appeared on Channel 4's Grand Designs programme, was on hand to cut the ribbon at St Mary and St Paul First School.
The school already boasts a tribe of eco-warriors and now pupils will be able to study how renewable energy works through sun-powered electricity in the school.
St Mary and St Paul First School now has 52 photovoltaic cells on its roof, thanks to grant support and fundraising. Not only will these cells provide a significant amount of the electricity used by the school, but they will also be a great learning tool for pupils, teachers and visitors to understand more about the environment.
And, as an added bonus, money saved on fuel bills will be directed into educational resources for the children.
The solar cells were officially unveiled by woodsman and author Ben Law last Friday at the school. Mr Law lives and works at Prickly Nut Woods in West Sussex and the building of his unique cruck-framed house was the subject of a Grand Designs programme.
Parent governor William Clare, who headed up the team responsible for getting the photovoltaic cells installed at a cost of £45,600, said: "This project aims, through education of its staff and pupils and interaction through the local community, to increase awareness at a local level of the risks of global warming, renewable energy technology, and the economics of renewables.
"We have been able to carry out this project thanks to grants from our generous sponsors – DTI Low Carbon Buildings Programme, South Downs Sustainable Development Fund, and Scottish Power Green Energy Trust. We must also acknowledge the support of the Greening Harting campaign which encourages individuals and groups to think about and operate more environmentally friendly ways of living."