CONNECTING COMMUNITIES The Background Strong links with a school in Bulgaria, including pupil and staff exchanges, sprang from a twinning arrangement between local councils in both countries. and provided excellent experiences of other cultures. An ambitious and positive application for funding for a three year project from the EU (Comenius fund) has been approved by the U.K. national agency. The application was made after I attended a contact seminar in Barlaston last October with an idea for a project based in creative arts (music, dance, storytelling, art and ICT). Also at the seminar were fifty two delegates from other EU countries. After some very exciting and intense discussions I came away from the seminar with the job of coordinating an application project which involves schools in Norway, Austria, Italy, Germany, Bulgaria, Poland and ourselves in the UK. However, during school holidays I have visited the partner schools in Austria and Bulgaria (even teaching lessons in each – English (of course because my Bulgarian is very limited) in Bulgaria, and P.E. in Austria). This project will be a great opportunity for pupils and staff here to learn about life in other European countries and to share the work we do here with our partner schools. We plan to hold celebration days each term and hope to involve the local community in these and as an important part of the ongoing project, which if our application is successful will begin in September, 2005.