Science pupils at Derbyshire school lose track of pudding launched into stratosphere

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? For those of you in Lincolnshire, it could well be a Bakewell pudding.

The tasty treat was flying high somewhere above the county this week as a result of an ambitious school science project.

Not content with a mere cake sale, pupils at St Anselm's Preparatory School in Derbyshire came up with a unique way of honouring the local favourite.

The homemade pudding was launched into the stratosphere using a high-altitude balloon on Monday morning, with tracking devices attached so that its position could be seen on a computer at all times.

While the ceremony may have lacked the pomp of a NASA event, the children were certainly excited to watch the pudding boldly go where no Bakewell had gone before - with hopes it could reach a height of 114,000ft.

Unfortunately, its precise location if and when it makes it that high is likely to remain a mystery.

It may not quite be lost in space, but the school has revealed on its Facebook page that it has all gone quiet on the tracking front since its position was traced over Saxilby, near Lincoln.

Should the pudding reemerge and make its way back to Earth, it will likely need some heavy defrosting before it is fit for human consumption, with the air temperature at its potential peak altitude hovering around -50F (-46C).

In the meantime, the project is continuing to raise money for charity after the pupils asked local businesses to sponsor them.

So far there is £1,600 in the coffers, which will be donated to Guide Dogs for the Blind.