AN artist has kept his promise to work again with Ferryhill youngsters after they moved on to secondary school.

Keith Alexander, of Barnard Castle, worked with 175 children from five primary schools - Chilton, Dean Bank, Ferryhill Station, Broom Cottages and Cleves Cross - in their final year.

This week, he has been working with the same children at Ferryhill Comprehensive School, keeping a promise he made to them.

He said: "I went around with all the kids for two days to design banners.

"Now they are working with me again to make the banners they designed as primary school kids and they are going to be prominently displayed in the school."

The school's acting head of art, Jane Meacham, said that the theme of the work was A Big Jump.

She said: "The artist was trying to explore the feelings of anticipation and apprehension that the kids were having about moving to a new school.

"They were big fish in a small pond and just about to move up to secondary school."

The huge banners are to be made from lightweight fabric and the artwork is inspired from a tribe in Ghana, Africa, which makes flags instead of traditional wood carvings or paintings.