A HAMILTON school and a local construction firm have raised £2000 as part of plans to off-set their carbon footprint.

Hamilton Grammar pupils and staff teamed with the Morgan Ashurst group to raise money towards a mango farm for Donkorkrom Agricultural School in Ghana. It will provide the partner school with a regular income.

Site manager Norrie McDermott and project manager John Kennedy helped organise the fundraiser after learning of the partnership between the two schools.

Sinclair Dyer, teacher and co-ordinator of the school's World View initiative, said: "Norrie and John have been outstanding in their efforts to support the school's environmental and international efforts.

"They have supported all our work in the local environment and listened carefully to what pupils are saying. They have also shown it is possible to have complex construction work founded in positive ethical values."

Norrie said: "Working at Hamilton Grammar has been fantastic as the staff and students have all taken such a lively interest in the work,"

He added: "With every school project we work on we like to get to know the students who will benefit.

"The students' commitment to raising money to help young people in Ghana impressed us so much."

Morgan Ashurst completed a £6.7million project at the school as part of South Lanarkshire Council's £319m secondary school modernisation programme.