Charles Darwin's incredible beard-growing achievements were celebrated by staff and pupils at The Heathland School as they began a season of activities to mark the scientist's bicentenary.

Pupils at the school in Wellington Road South, Hounslow, tucked into 'evolutionary pastries' and a cake with 200 candles as they marked the bicentenary of the great man's birth last Thursday.

They also took part in a Darwin-alike competition, won by 14-year-old George Charalambides.

Year nine students are working on a Darwin project this term, looking at his groundbreaking theory of evolution, On the Origin of Species.

Among the events planned are visits to London Zoo, the Natural History Exhibition and a symposium at Down House.