FORTY years after leaving Whittonstall School, a former pupil is trying to reconnect with old classmates and organise a reunion.

Paul Greaves (51) who moved on to Corbridge Middle School in 1976, came up with the idea after contacting old school mates Fiona Clark (nee Broadley) and George Anderson, via Facebook.

“Whittonstall School was quite small, and we had mixed age classes, so we have decided we need to include as many people as possible who attended the school anytime broadly between 1970 and 1976,” said Paul, who now lives in Durham and works as a project manager for an IT firm.

“We have now managed to create a list of around 40 people, but there will be more that we cannot remember.

“The main issue is trying to contact these people, as quite a few have left the area, and others have been married and changed surname, so we are struggling to track them down.”

The group hopes to arrange a get-together at the village’s Anchor Inn.

Paul said: “We have many fond memories and we are all really looking forward to meeting up with as many ex-pupils as possible.”

Anyone who attended the school during the 1970s, or who can put the group in touch with former pupils, can email Paul at j.p.greaves@sky.com