SPACE suits and astronaut helmets have transported children to infinity and beyond.

Youngsters put their imaginations to the test at a craft session during their half-term holidays.

About 50 boys and girls arrived at Summerhill Country Park, Hartlepool, for a blast-off on Thursday.

The 100-acre site hosted the event - called To Infinity and Beyond - and used recycled materials to create space-related toys, which creators could take home.

Resource group Percy brought discarded sticky-backed plastic, toilet roll holders, felt and string to the session, and children made helmets, space suits and space ships.

The manager at the visitors' centre, Tony Davison, said: "It was great fun, and there were some weird and wonderful end products.

"Some kids made rockets, and others got kitted out in shiny materials to make them look like astronauts."

Mr Davison said there are always popular events organised to keep youngsters occupied during the holidays.

The children took part in two sessions, including a play scheme group called Oscars.

"All the sessions have a theme, and this time, we thought we hadn't had a space-related topic before.

"The kids loved it, and were really concentrating on being the best. We like to think we are helping the children learn while they are away from school, yet the subjects are fun and exciting.

"This event even took the adults back to their childhood days of Blue Peter, when we used toilet roll holders to make things like the Thunderbirds' Tracy Island."