FRIENDS of a Herefordshire school loved one of its buildings so much, when it came up for sale again, they bought it back.

Now St Mary's RC High School has a RE and Music centre as well as a chapel in Lugwardine Court that was officially opened by the Archbishop of Cardiff on Friday.

Also in attendance were invited guests from the Catholic community as well as local authority officers and councillors to mark the culmination of three years hard work for staff, trustees, governors and friends of the school.

The installation of the chapel has proven most apt considering two decades ago it was the convent of the Sisters of Charity who were originally responsible for bringing the school to Lugwardine.

Several staff and many parents remember the sisters and lessons in the house before it was sold in 1984 to become a home for the elderly.

When the building came up for sale in 1999, friends of the school bought it via a substantial loan and a grant from the Department for Education and Skills enabled a conversion of the ground floor.

Head teacher, Clive Lambert said: "We are very proud of what has been achieved and grateful to the trustees of Lugwardine Court for sharing our vision for the future."

Twenty-two acres of land bordering the River Lugg containing a site of special scientific interest accompanies the building and the school hopes to use it to expand its curriculum activities.