YOUNGSTERS have been handed a fresh start in schooling - down on the farm.

And MP Terry Lewis checked it out for himself when he opened a new stable block at Leyland's Farm Curriculum Centre at Mosley Common.

The "City" farm is a crucial element in the award-winning Classrooms in Companies, an innovative scheme funded by Wigan Education Business Partnership and supported by Leigh Education Action Zone and Wigan LEA.

It helps young people turn round their lives, giving them a new direction by involving them in a venture to gain skills and experience in a farming environment.

Pupils from Westleigh High and Kingshill Special School in Tyldesley have been working at the farm which is a favourite staging post for hundreds of local youngsters who enjoy involvement in a variety of farming activities.

Run by Margaret Percival and her brothers John and Frank, Leyland's Farm provides pupils with an opportunity to learn practical skills working as a team.

One on-going project is an adoption scheme, where each student adopts an animal, bird or species to care for and research with an accredited qualification as their goal.