BREDON School is appealing for help to fill in gaps in its history and locate some of its very first pupils as it celebrates its 40th anniversary year.

The school, based in the Pull Court mansion near Upton-upon Severn, opened in September 1962 as a boys-only boarding school with just 17 pupils. It is now a mixed day and boarding school with 225 pupils.

With its anniversary year under way, the school's managing director, David Keyte, is keen to complete its archive and staff have spent the past few months sifting through old school records stored in the extensive cellars at Pull Court.

"We unearthed some of the very first documents but unfortunately some of them were damp and impossible to decipher," said Mr Keyte.

"As a result of our detective work, we have been able to track down some of the very first pupils from the 1962-63 academic year. However, there are still some gaps in our knowledge and we'd very much like to hear from anyone who had connections with Bredon School in its first few years."

Anyone who can help should contact Mr Keyte's office on 01684 293156 or e-mail keytedj@ bredonschool.worcs.sch. uk.