A GROUP of pupils found out what it was like to live in a forest - visiting an outside classroom in Cwmbran.

The 27 youngsters in Year Four at Pontnewynydd Primary School went to Forest school near County Hall as part of a learning exercise looking at the environment.

During their four-hour stay at the site, created by Torfaen council two years ago, they built a camp for future visits over the next three or four months. Andrew Phillips, the class teacher said: "It was about giving the pupils an idea of what it's like to be part of woodland life. It was about how to survive in a forest.

"The children looked at how to build a fire. They collected sticks and wood and built a camp fire. We also got logs and made seats. We will be going again next week and the children will be making Christmas items from materials in the forest."

Future visits by the school, which is one of three groups regularly visiting the site, will include learning about animals living in the wood and what they eat. They will also learn about tree and hedgerow planting and how woodlands have been used in the past.

* In the picture: Darry Hardcastle, left, and James Taylor get some tips from countryside warden Jonathon Howells.