A TAPESTRY made by youngsters at a Pendle school for the Millennium Dome has spent six months gathering dust in a warehouse, according to their head teacher.

Now staff at Coates Lane Primary School, Barnoldswick, have launched a campaign to bring the tapestry back "home".

It's been stuck in a dusty old warehouse in Oxford where no-one sees it while the children could be enjoying it," said head Sue Holloway. "What an outrageous way to treat the children's hard work.

"It's never been on display and the whole idea has been a complete disaster. It's a crying shame."

But organisers of the scheme, which was part of the Millennium celebrations, have refused to return it. They want the tapestry, and others made by schools across the country, kept together so they can go on display nationwide as a complete work. Schools were invited to produce a small tapestry that would be joined together to create a striking work of art. Coates Lane was one of just 17 schools in Lancashire, and the only one in the east of the county, which took part in the project.

The school was sent details of the project including a video which showed a clip from Blue Peter saying the giant tapestry would "hopefully" be displayed at the Dome before going on show across the country.

It was only when children and staff from Coates Lane visited the Dome that they discovered the tapestry scheme had been shelved and their hard work placed in storage.

"We want it back so it can form a centrepiece at school," added Mrs Holloway. "It's a scandal, like a lot of things to do with the Millennium Dome."

Lizzie Owen, chief executive of the Millennium Tapestry Company, said the original intention was to display the tapestry in the Dome but the Dome organisers considered the work too large and not relevant.