A Swindon school which was built after a big fundraising drive by parents is celebrating its 40th anniversary.

Last night past pupils, parents, teachers and friends of St Mary's Catholic Primary School attended a special mass before enjoying an official celebration reception at the school.

And tomorrow it will be the turn of the 276 children at the Bessemer Road East school to party.

They are being encouraged to dress up in red and enjoy a fun day before cutting a big birthday cake.

The school was built after local people raised half the building costs themselves and today's parents include many who were pupils at the school themselves.

Among the people who attended last night's reception was former pupil Peter Foley who was at the school between 1962 and 1969.

He said: "I have good memories of the school. One of the benefits of being a Catholic in those days was that you had the opportunity to be taught in a new building as opposed to the existing Victorian alternatives which were Ferndale and Gorse Hill schools.

"The first headteacher was Basil Harrison who I remember as a perfect gentleman, who was very kind and an excellent teacher."

An Ofsted report on St Mary's in May said the school provided a good education for its children with a strong Christian ethos underpinning the work of the school.

The school was praised for its high standards in reading, writing and mathematics.