CHILDREN at a primary school used their love of football as an inspiration for a giant mural.

Year six pupils at Newker Primary School, Chester-le-Street, spent two days working with Lionel Playford, the artist-in-residence at the Universal Building Society.

The artist taught the children how to represent the spectrum of emotions experienced at football matches. After learning about the geometry of the human face, the children posed for each other and used digital photographs to study expressions.

The resulting mural, containing images of a crowd of football supporters made up of the pupil's friends, families, teachers and celebrities, will decorate the school's football practice area.