YOUNGSTERS inspired to make a film tracking the Tour de France Grand Depart through Yorkshire have won a competition which could see their film shown on big screens following the race this summer.

Pupils at Ainderby Steeple Primary School, near Northallerton, had just one day to create their film after finding out about the competition, but with the help of teacher James Hodgson they managed to come up with a winner.

Mr Hodgson said his class came up with the idea to show the tour travelling through Yorkshire and stopping off at Betty’s for cake, Whitby for fish and chips, and disrupting a cricket match at Headingly.

Charity Sustrans launched the competition, Bonjour! Film Your Tour, to all schools in Yorkshire and six winning films have been picked to be recreated by a professional film crew.

Mr Hodgson said: “It was quite lucky on the day we had to make the film because it was World Book Day, so everyone was in different costumes, and lots of children had been riding bikes to school.

“We came up with the idea to feature lots of Yorkshire attractions, so we created a cafe scene with toy cakes, and one boy was dressed as a cricketer so we had children on bikes riding through his cricket match.

“We also had the idea of the riders having a pint at the Black Sheep Brewery – but the film crew has changed that to Ripley’s Ice Cream instead.”

Mr Hodgson said he had been quietly confident that the film was good, was but thrilled when he was told it had won.

“A team from Rattle Media is coming to school tomorrow to film it again and then hopefully it will be shown on large screens during the Grand Depart and in independent cinemas,” he said.

Emma Peasland, from Sustrans, a charity that helps people travel by foot or bike, said: “We chose the film because it was informative and funny, and included lots of features of Yorkshire.”

Max Bilbow, from Rattle Media, added: “There were so many fantastic entries and the winners really came up with some exceptional and unique ideas.”

The competition was commissioned by the Yorkshire Festival, the first arts and culture festival to be staged ahead of a Grand Depart.