BUDDING Richard Bransons got a close up view of the workings of a hot air balloon on Monday.

The npower balloon and its crew delighted pupils when it came into land on the field at Alderman Leach Primary School in Darlington as part of an educational tour of the region.

Pupils used the balloon's visit to learn about the theory of flight as part of their usual science lessons.

The youngsters listened to a lecture and then enjoyed watching the 15m tall balloon being inflated before settling down to write an account of the day's events.

The balloon's team was joined by two of npower's education mascots Bright Spark and Electra.