THE headteacher of Bury School was led away in handcuffs by police officers – much to the amusement of the children. Jeremy Summerell, 50, was arrested during a school assembly on Friday. However, the father of six was not sent to the cells and instead

THE headteacher of Bury School was led away in handcuffs by police officers - much to the amusement of the children.

Jeremy Summerell, 50, was "arrested" during a school assembly on Friday.

However, the father of six was not sent to the cells and instead started on a two-week trip to Nicaragua to visit schools and donate much-needed resources.

The unusual exit for the headmaster got his journey off to a dramatic start and raised awareness of the trip.

Tracey Ackers, a mother of one of the pupils and an officer with the Cambridgeshire force, carried out the arrest with two other support officers. They chased him around the hall, among the children, before slapping on the handcuffs.

Mr Summerell was released in time to catch his flight on Saturday with another volunteer, Peter Brindley, who introduced the school to the work off the charity Seed International Fund Trust (Sift).

Together they took as many items as possible for the children on the small island of Ometepe in Lake Nicaragua.

Some of the goods had been paid for by the Bury schoolchildren following a non-uniform day which raised £320. Some children have also handed over their pocket money to their teachers, asking for it to go towards items for the Nicaraguan school.

Mr Summerell said: "Last year, Peter visited our partner school and took paper, pens and other basic items. This year, we thought we'd give the children a bit more fun and teach them cricket and tennis. Our children here have so much and it is amazing what a difference small actions taken in the UK can make in places where people struggle to live ordinary lives.

"It is a real privilege to take those gifts, install some of our surplus computer equipment and to build a bridge from Ramsey to Ometepe which our children will be able to use to gain a greater understanding of the world in which we live."

Children at the Bury School should be able to see their counterparts in Nicaragua using some of the items they helped to buy. The school hopes to hold a special school assembly which will use a video link to show the headmaster at an internet cafe in Nicaragua.

INFORMATION: Sift is a UK charity which support hundreds of projects across Nicaragua to improve education and healthcare. Visit www.seed-trust.com