FORMER Bread actress Melanie Hill came back to her home town for a bird's eye view of children's artwork yesterday.

The celebrity, who starred in The Bill and the BBC show, Playing the Field, helped launch Feathered Imaginings Project, an exhibition at Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens by pupils at her former school, Fulwell Juniors School, in the city.

It was the first school to use the centre's new Open Space community gallery to display their work, which was inspired by a collection of stuffed birds loaned to them by the museum.

All the school's children were involved in the project, and produced poems, paintings, drawings, dance and even songs.

One song, composed by a year five pupil, and another created by teacher Brian Wilson, were performed at the launch, while children, dressed in bird costumes, welcomed guests by giving out chocolate eggs.

Jo Cunningham, education officer at the museum, said: "The teachers we've been working with have been absolutely fantastic and Fulwell Juniors are the first school to take the opportunity to use the Open Space community gallery.

"We provide a free loan service to schools in the city of things like stuffed birds, fossils and Victorian and 1930's domestic items for projects like these."

The next celebrity to view the school's exhibition will be film director Lord Puttnam, who will visit the school on July 15, to see more art, poetry and music performed by the pupils. A book of the children's writing and art will also be published to coincide with the exhibition, which runs for four weeks.