PUPILS can step back in time to experience life during the war.

Because the children at Crosland Moor Junior School have got their very own Anderson Shelter.

The shelter, used for safety during air raids, was opened at the school’s annual garden party by members of the Huddersfield Veterans’ Association.

Bev Taylor, a school support worker, said the idea stemmed from a wartime project the year six children had been working on.

Mrs Taylor said: “For the last two or three years we’ve had a garden party and invited the governors and people within the community to come along and join us.

“This year as part of a year six project looking at World War Two we’ve installed an Anderson Shelter and we’ve invited some veterans to come into the school and officially open it for us.

“It will be of a celebration of all the hard work done this year.”

Anderson Shelters were created for the protection of the civilian population as well as military personnel against bomb attacks from the air.

They were designed in 1938 in response to a request from the Home Office and were named after Sir John Anderson, then Lord Privy Seal with special responsibility for preparing air-raid precautions immediately prior to the outbreak of World War Two.

But the children at Crosland Moor Junior School will use their Anderson Shelter for very differently purposes.

Mrs Taylor, of the Dryclough Road school, added: “They will use it as a place to reflect and express themselves, write some poetry in a different atmosphere.

“It’s a full-size Anderson shelter, we had to dig a three foot hole to get it in.

“It’s in our new wildlife area, we found we had a bit of empty space so we’ve put the shelter there and we’ve got a Dig for Victory garden in front of it.”

The school were supported by the park wardens from Beaumont Park and Chris Smith of Kirklees Council park’s department.