DEEP in a forest a group of children worked their magic to bring the woodland to life at the weekend.

A series of plays was performed by schoolchildren at Hamsterley Forest to mark the completion of a new out-of-school scheme. More than 50 youngsters from Wear Valley and Teesdale took part in a project organised by the county's Study Support Service as part of a Schools Out programme.

Local theatre company Jack Drum Arts joined pupils for week-long workshops known as The Enchanted Forest project.

Youngsters worked with professional artists, inventing stories and songs based on ideas from walking through the forest, and creating plays to perform on Saturday to parents and friends.