England soccer boss Sven-Goran Eriksson took time out from planning the nation's World Cup campaign to congratulate footy mad youngsters in Leyland for helping to clinch a world record.

Pupils at Worden Sports College, Leyland, teamed-up with the official England supporters' club, to set a new world keepy uppy' record.

Sixty pupils from Leyland, including ten girls, were among 700 children from 15 schools across the country to attempt the new world record.

Of those who took part 459 children kept a football in the air simultaneously for a minimum of ten seconds using any part of the body except their hands.

The effort, on Wednesday, April 26, narrowly beat the previous world record, set in 1999, which stood at 446.

England head coach Sven congratulated the Worden pupils for helping to set the new world record which raised money for SOS Children's Villages, the world's largest charity for orphaned and abandoned children.

He said: "Organising an event on this scale is a major achievement for the pupils at Worden Sports College and they should be congratulated on setting a new world record. Everyone who took part contributed to the success."

Paul Scarborough, assistant headteacher at Worden said the new world record was one of the highlights of Alltogethernow 2006, the campaign to promote positive fan behaviour and respect for the host country and other competing nations in the build-up to the World Cup in Germany.

Paul said: "We are delighted our children from the college joined hundreds of others throughout the country.

"It highlighted the importance of teamwork and co-operation.

"It was also be fun and has the added bonus of raising funds for an extremely worthwhile cause."