CHILDREN, staff and governors of a County Durham primary school have been celebrating the success of its extensive garden development.

Cotherstone Primary School, near Barnard Castle, has already seen a transformation in its grounds, thanks to its garden development plan.

Last weekend, they invited everybody who has helped so far to view the progress made.

Improvements to date include tree planting and the creation of an arboretum and woodland.

An adventure play area has been established, with equipment suitable for children of all ages, with the help of a donation from the friends of the school and local company Glaxo Wellcome. Another development is a wildlife meadow.

Nearby firm Stainton Stone has also helped by providing a bird bath and bird table.

A dry stone wall habitat has been rediscovered for the children to explore, which should help them in science lessons.

Plans include creating a pond, and the school hopes to gain enough funding to put a pathway around the field to link the new areas of interest.

The school's headteacher, Pat Barker, said: "It's all gone very well so far and everybody who has been involved in it says it's really looking good at the moment."