Schoolchildren were amazed to hear how far news of their new hall had spread.

Pupils at Topcliffe Primary School, near Thirsk, North Yorkshire, received a note from across the Channel after a balloon race took word of their £115,000 building across Europe.

Scores of balloons were released to mark the opening of the hall and, ever since, the children have been receiving cards from all over the UK.

Then they got one back from Jean Landais, who found the balloon ticket hundreds of miles away near his home at Juigne-sur-Loire, in France.

"We couldn't believe it," said acting headteacher Nicola Dunn. "We started getting cards back from just down the road, then as far away as Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire. Then the card arrived from France."

The building was needed to meet an increased demand for places at the school, where numbers have increased from 72 to 109 in three years.

North Yorkshire County Council provided the bulk of the finance to convert and extend the existing hall and a classroom, nearly doubling the space available.

The balloon race and tombola stalls at the launch raised £1,000, which will be used to create an outdoor early years play area.

Chris Metcalfe, executive member for education, said: "Children need their space to grow and develop, and the new hall and classroom have provided just that.

"It's always a pleasure helping such schemes get off the ground, particularly when they are needed because of a school's growing popularity."