TIM Bowler, the celebrated author of children's books, spent a day at Budehaven Community School last Friday and joined the celebrations to open the stunning new Resource Base and Library, described by Mr Bowler as 'a real treasure house' which has been created at the school.

Mr Bowler, who is the winner of the Carnegie Medal for Children's Literature, had breakfast with the student English leaders and members of the Library Committee, before an extensive question and answer session with students about the whole creative process which leads to the production of a book.

Later in the morning, Headteacher David Barton introduced Tim Bowler to a gathering of local guests invited to the opening of the new Resource Base. Mr Barton emphasised the school's gratitude to the Blanchminster Trust, the oldest independent charity in the whole of Europe, with a history going back nearly 600 years to Sir Ralph de Blanchminster of Stratton.

"Without the very generous support of the Blanchminster Trust we would not have been able to create the wonderful new facility which you see today," said Mr Barton, in welcoming Mr Byron Rowlands, Chairman of the Trustees, and four other of the 13 local trustees.

Mr Bowler said that he had been enormously encouraged by what he had seen at Budehaven. A former teacher himself, Tim said that his work had taken him into over a thousand schools so far, and what he was always looking for in a school, was a sense of vision.

"I've seen good schools and schools where it is really difficult to get anything across," he said "but Budehaven is right up amongst the top flight of schools — fantastic students, (especially the ones who've been showing me around today!) tremendous enthusiasm from everyone to whom I've spoken and a really good feel about the whole place. That's because there are people with vision and ideas leading and working here — and with vision you can achieve anything."

A cheque was presented to students of the Library Committee by Mr Jeremy Dowling, on behalf of the Friends of Budehaven. The cheque, which was for £10,000, represented money taken at the popular car boot sales which have been running for the past 19 years at the school.

"This comes to the school with the warm good wishes of all of those who have paid their money for a car boot pitch, or their 50 pence for parking: it is amazing how the money mounts up," said Mr Dowling who reflected that nearly £200,000 had been raised by the Friends and their predecessors in the past 20 years.

Mr Dowling, as Chair of Governors, introduced Mr Len Tozer, the Chairman of the Education Committee of the Blanchminster Trust, and a former teacher at Budehaven, who outlined some of the extraordinary progress of the school in the past 40 years, from the point at which Budehaven had become a Comprehensive School, through the difficulties of the old split site to being on the one Valley Road site.

Mr Tozer said: "Then in 1999 we had the disastrous fire — but arising from it we have seen the school go from strength to strength. There is always something new going on here, and the Blanchminster Trust has been delighted to be able to be a part of this wonderful new development."

Mr Tozer and Mr Bowler shared the honours of cutting the ribbon to declare the library open, and its advanced security system immediately screeched identifying Mr Tozer as attempting to leave with a book which had not been officially issued!

Following the official opening, student members of the Management Committee of the Library, and the English Leaders showed invited guests some of the facilities available, including the new laptops, and the substantially increased numbers of computers which have provided an excellent study resource for the Sixth Form especially in their run up to A Levels.

Librarian Carol Naylor explained that with over 1,200 students wanting to use the library and with new sophisticated self-issuing systems for books an induction process for all students and staff would be taking place over the next few weeks to explain the advantages of the new facilities.

Guests, including the five Blanchminster Trustees present, then attended readings and impressive drama based on some of Mr Bowler's books before actors, students, staff and guests met for an informal lunch and a lengthy book signing by Mr Bowler, with books kindly provided by Chris Pringle of Spencer Thorn's bookshop in Bude.

Kieron Mooney and Jim Morgan, two of the members of the Library Committee who had been responsible for looking after Mr Bowler said that it had been a fantastic day in every way.

"Tim was so easy to get on with, and he remembered everyone's names," said Kieron, "and it was really interesting to hear how someone like that actually goes about the business of writing a book — which might take years. Everyone thought he was really brilliant".

Mr Barton summed up the day when he added: "We have a marvellous, state-of-the-art new resource here. The students and all those who use it will continue to develop an imaginative vision of new ways of using the resources to respond to the needs of today's students."