A TOWN is appealing to the region to back its campaign to bring one of Britain's biggest art prizes to the North-East.

Primary school youngsters joined traders and dignitaries this week to kickstart Locomotion: National Railway Museum's bid to win the Gulbenkian prize for museum of the year.

The Shildon-based museum is the only one in the region to be shortlisted for the prize, which carries £100,000 worth of prize money.

Children from Thornhill and St John's primary schools in Shildon, and members of the town's council and chamber of trade gathered at the museum on Tuesday to encourage people from all across the region to log on to the internet in a show of support.

Coun Marie Predki, Mayor of Sedgefield Borough, said winning the prize was not just about Shildon and the museum, but bringing recognition to the North-East as a whole.

She said: "We need to get across that this is the only museum in the North-East that has been shortlisted. We need people to show their support by logging on to the web site and sharing their comments about the museum.

"It is not just about quantity but the quality of the comments. This is not just a museum, it is somewhere that can be used for a host of events such as the recent Deltic ball and forthcoming flower festival."

Coun Predki was joined by Shildon Town Mayor Garry Huntington, who said that the museum was a fantastic facility that celebrated the town's strong links with the railways.

He said: "The impact that Locomotion has had on everyone who has visited it is unbelievable. It is a superb facility and I for one would love to see it win the Gulbenkian prize for museum of the year.''

Locomotion is facing competition from nine other national attractions including a community project on the island of North Uist, a restored pit in south Wales, and the reworked Transport Museum in Coventry.

To show support for Shildon and the region log on to www.thegulbenkianprize.org and share your views by clicking on to Your Comments.