THE headmaster of one of County Durham's most environmentally friendly schools is set to bring new light to a remote corner of Africa.

Jim McManners, of Cassop Primary School, set off this week on a journey to the north western tip of Kenya and plans to carry a set of solar panels with him every step of the way.

The glass power packs are earmarked for Cassop's twinned school at Marich Pass in Kenya's West Pokot province, which has neither water not electrical supplies.

It was four years ago that Cassop School, which is one of only a handful in the country with a wind turbine in its yard, won a national environmental award from the World Wildlife Trust.

The prize included a trip to the Kenyan school where Mr McManners met and taught alongside his African counterpart, Moses Korkapel.

Following the visit and under the British Council Global School Partnership scheme, Cassop Primary formed an official link with Marich Pass.

As a result, the two schools regularly exchange work, use their locations for mutual geography lessons and listen avidly to the tape recorded versions of their area's tales and legends.

"There are 400 pupils at Marich Pass. Some walk 15 miles to the school each day while those who live within five miles actually run to their lessons, and others who live too far away have to stay overnight'' said Mr McManners.

It was the school's comparative lack of facilities, which not only prompted Cassop's pupils into a helping mode but also captured the imaginations of the local community.

Particularly that of former pupil and now parent at Cassop school, John Smithson. whose sponsored bike ride around North Yorkshire helped raise the money for the solar panels.

The panels are set to cause great excitement when they are used to bring electricity to one of the Kenyan classrooms.