George steps back into the past to meet young architects of the future

TV architect George Clarke met 250 Wearside children taking part in the final of a competition to design sustainable homes for Horden.

- by Neil Fatkin

Pupils from Cotsford, Yohden, Easington Colliery, Dene House and Dame Dorothy Primary Schools met at Beamish Museum for the culmination of a student challenge that has sought to engage young people in shaping the future of their communities.

Students from Years 5 and 6 at the five schools were tasked with designing a new masterplan for Horden, coming up with ideas around appropriate housing types, community facilities, infrastructure, green transport and the use of green energy.

During their visit to Beamish, students had the opportunity to showcase their ideas for Horden for the first time, providing a scale model of their designs for the area, and submitting a video which explained the rationale behind their ideas.

George said: "I am thrilled to be here today celebrating the work of 250 young people from across the region, who have taken part in a student challenge that we hope will bring a different voice to the discussion about the future of our communities in this country.