THE Bishop of Durham the Rt Rev Michael Turnbull will only have a short time to enjoy a parting gift made for him by young school craftsmen.

Students at Parkside School, in Willington, marked the bishop's retirement at the end of the month by presenting him with a wooden bench for the grounds of his official residence, Auckland Castle.

Accepting the seat from Bishop Auckland MP Derek Foster was one of his last official engagements before Bishop Michael hands over to Canon Tom Wright.

Year 10 and 11 students spent 12 weeks making the gift in the joinery workshops at Bishop Auckland College.

They are all members of a Children's Garden project at the school and have constructed seven other benches for a plot they are transforming at the Rosedale and Victoria Allotments, in Willington with the help of grants from the Millennium Fund, Groundwork and the Allotment Association.

Bishop Michael said: "The bench has been placed where people can sit on it and look at the castle.

"The students have done a wonderful job and I hope that they will use it themselves and in years to come bring their wives and children here and tell them about the work they did.

"It is a great addition to the grounds of Auckland Castle."

John Hattle, the school's co-ordinator of alternative curriculum, said: "This kind of activity really gets the students involved in something worthwhile outside school and gives them an element of ownership."