A VILLAGE school has developed a mini-stretch of shoreline to create its own coastal strip, despite being several miles from the sea.

The specially-created 'Beachcomber Bay' has gone down well with pupils at Newbottle Primary School, near Houghton-le-Spring.

But it also caught the eye of judges in this year's Northumbria in Bloom awards scheme, who voted it a winner in the schools' category for "Horticultural Innovation".

Deputy head teacher Kevin Beston, who has overseen the project, said the idea came from Peter Tate, the green-fingered husband of school secretary Angela Tate.

Mr Beston said Mr Tate, who is now the school's gardener, has helped to make it 'Newbottle-by-the-Sea' despite the village lying around five miles inland.

"We couldn't move to the coast so we brought the coast to us.

"We have an inner courtyard and one side is like a pond.

"The water side was by a waste area and so the children and Mr Tate came up with the idea of developing a coastal beach area.

"We have palms and a beach-full of sand, so the children can play and build sandcastles, bringing a little flavour of the seaside here to Newbottle."

Judges visited the school during the recent summer holiday and news of the award win made it a happy return for staff and pupils at the start of the new academic year.

Mr Beston was joined by Mr Tate and several of the Year Six pupils who were involved in the 'Beachcomber Bay' development at the Northumbria in Bloom awards ceremony, in South Shields this week (MON SEP 10).

They showed off the trophy to the rest of the 400 pupils at a special assembly yesterday.