CHILDREN at York's Galtres School have welcomed their friends from HMS York.

The school has a long-standing friendship with the crew of the ship and its commanding officer, Paul Porter, visited today as guest of honour to the opening of a £450,000 building extension at the school.

The crew are on a five-day visit to the city and treated the children to a visit by the ship's helicopter which landed outside the school in Bad Bargain Lane, Tang Hall, yesterday.

They also organised a concert at the Theatre Royal in York by Her Majesty's Royal Marines last night, which raised money for the school.

Today marked the official opening of the extension to the school, which caters for secondary-aged children with special educational needs, and has 62 pupils. The work has created extensions to two existing classrooms and the new section contained new nursing and medical rooms, two new classrooms for students aged 16 to 19, new physiotherapy and speech and language therapy rooms.

More help from HMS York came in the shape of a £1,000 donation for a new sling for the school's hydrotherapy pool hoist and volunteers from the crew have helped with painting and redecoration work in the school.

Commander Porter also presented the school with a computer today, paid for by the fundraising efforts of Lieutenant Dave Griffiths, from HMS York, who ran the London Marathon.