A CENTURIES-old tradition is being revived in Hartlepool with the help of local schoolchildren.

Youngsters from the town's Catcote School spent time at Summerhill recently to begin cultivating a specially-prepared garden with emmer, a traditional type of wheat.

Once the crop has grown, the youngsters plan to mill the flour and bake bread as part of a project to bring the 100-acre countryside site's history alive.

The youngsters are being supervised by Claire Smith, the site's new landscape interpretation officer, who is keen to promote Summerhill's archaeological importance.

She said: "We know the site was occupied for about 600 years from the Iron Age to Romano/British times and it's this rich history that I am keen to explore.

"The children from Catcote School were a great help and really enjoyed themselves planting the emmer seeds. We are now looking forward to the wheat growing and moving the project on to its next stage."

Summerhill is preparing for an archaeological open day on Sunday, June 23, when people will be able to learn more about the site's history with experts from Tees Archaeology and a history group which will be re-creating 5th Century life.