PLANS for a trip to Africa for students from a New Forest college been abandoned - because of the risk from the deadly Ebola virus.

Brockenhurst College performing arts department worked for months to try to set up a tour of their new musical in the central African country of Uganda.

But Uganda has recently been hit by an outbreak of Ebola - a fever which causes fatal internal bleeding - and college organisers have been forced to rethink the trip.

Performing Arts lecturer Wendy Arrowsmith said: "The risks involved at this time outweigh what promised to be a rewarding and exciting experience for the students.

"We are however determined to still have the challenge of performing abroad with our New Age musical - The Riddler's Eclipse - which is set in the New Forest. Staff and students worked together on the music and staging style.

"We are now setting our sights on a trip to Barcelona in Feb-ruary. Touring abroad is to become a regular feature of performing arts and media courses at Brockenhurst," she said.

The premiere of The Riddler's Eclipse is to take place at The Gantry, Southampton, on Febr-uary 7, 2001.

Income from the musical will help to pay for future cultural exchange trips by students at the college.

A concert at Brockenhurst by four international singers - originally planned to raise cash for the Uganda trip - has been rescheduled for the summer.