CHILDREN at a Newton Aycliffe school drew on memories from war veterans to produce an award-winning history project.

The history group at Stephenson Way Primary School won first place in a national competition on Second World War studies, run by the Spirit of Normandy Trust. The Stephenson Way group, which includes 50 pupils aged seven to 11, chose the "Bridge Too Far" operation at Arnhem, in the Netherlands, as their subject.

They contacted veterans of the 6th Airborne Division and a Dutch woman living in Newton Aycliffe who witnessed the event, to record their memories of the operation.

From the information they gathered, the pupils produced a drama based not only on the battle, but the social effects of the operation on those who lived through it.

Kayleigh Brown, Sophie Elliott, Peter Davies, Liam Hill and Alex Williams, with headteacher Barry Dobson, represented the history group at a special day out with the Army at Imphal Barracks, Fulford, York.

They visited the Battle of Kohima Museum, accompanied by veterans of the Arnhem raid and the RAF Pathfinder Force, and received a cheque for £200.