YOUNGSTERS have begun preparing for two concerts to raise money for The Northern Echo's Forgotten Hero appeal.

The choir at Middleton St George Primary School, near Darlington, will sing at the afternoon events at the town's Dolphin Centre on Sundays, March 13 and April 10.

The concerts, which will also feature the Normandy Band The Queen's Division, from Catterick, North Yorkshire, are being held to raise money for a £40,000 statue of Canadian Second World War hero Andrew Mynarski at Durham Tees Valley Airport.

Pilot Officer Mynarski, 27, was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross for trying to save his friend, Pat Brophy, on their blazing Lancaster bomber. It flew out of the Royal Canadian Air Force base at Middleton St George, which is now the airport.

Headteacher Janine Gleeson said: "The children are very, very excited and cannot wait for the concerts. It is just fantastic for them to be singing with the band at an event like this."

Choir-leader Vivienne Neville said about 30 children aged seven to 11 were taking part.

"They are singing old-time war songs. They sound really, really enthusiastic," she said.

The pupils will learn more about Mynarski and the Second World War in a project later this year.

Tickets for the concerts are £10, available from The Northern Echo office, in Priestgate, Darlington, from the Dolphin Centre, in the Market Place, or on (01325) 388410.

l To donate to the appeal, send a cheque, payable to The Northern Echo's Forgotten Hero Appeal, to: The Forgotten Hero Appeal, Newsdesk, The Northern Echo, Priestgate, Darlington, DL1 1NF.