Boys and staff at one of Britain's oldest preparatory schools have bid farewell to Ilkley.

Ghyll Royd School staged a special end of term leaving service at the building on Grove Road, which has been home since 1889.

Pupils are now looking forward to starting the summer term at the beginning of May in their new home at Greystone Manor in Burley-in-Wharfedale.

The leaving service culminated in a performance of music and drama by the pupils.

Derelict Greystone Manor was bought by the school's board of parent governors following their buy-out of the private school for two to 11-year-olds in 1998.

They had formed a charitable trust, the Ghyll Royd Associa-tion, to pursue negotiations to ensure its future following the retirement of its former owners, Michael and Eileen Shepherd, in 1998.

The school - whose old boys include top golfer Colin Montgomerie - had been set to shut but was saved from closure when an anonymous donor stepped in with a £1 million gift.

The Victorian mansion has since undergone a £1.2 million renovation. The vacated Grove Road site is expected to be developed for housing.

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