FAST-paced pupils at a Bolton primary school will be soon getting their skates on to help raise much-needed funds.

The school hall at St Thomas of Canterbury School, Heaton, is set to become a winter wonderland when it is transformed into an ice skating rink later this month.

But there will be no cold feet for the youngsters because the rink will be constructed out of synthetic plastic ice supplied by a specialist Yorkshire firm.

The school is hosting the Come Ice Skating day after the suggestion came from the school's Friends' Association -- a fundraising committee made up of parents.

Headteacher Pam McTague said: "This will a chance for the children to have some fun but also to learn a new skill at the same time. It will give them the chance to try ice skating for themselves and we will have instructors and parents acting as supervisor on hand to help them along."

The St Thomas of Canterbury Friends last year raised more than £5,000 for the school and so far this year has raised more than £3,000.

Friends chairman Catherine Faye said: "The idea came from the Friends and it's not the first time we have transformed the the school hall into a rink. Last year it was incredibly successful and very popular with the pupils and the parents. The rink itself was the same size as the school hall itself which is fairly large but because of the number of children who wanted to take part we had to hold one hour sessions throughout the evening."

The ice rink cometh to the school on Thursday April 26 and sessions will be run between 4pm and 8pm.