A SPENNYMOOR boy got creative to come up with a winning entry to a design competition.

Luke Rowcroft won £500 for his school, Ox Close Primary School, in Spennymoor, by drawing a dream garden bird box.

The year four pupil was invited to enter the national Giving Nature a Home competition devised by JDP, which supplies civil and drainage products to the building industry.

The task was to design a nest box which could comfortably suit a house sparrow, either at home or as a school activity.

Nine-year-old Luke’s design was the overall winner of the North of England heat, landing £500 for his school and a £20 gift voucher.

It will now go on to the national final where he could win a further £1,000 for Ox Close Primary School towards an environmental project.

Louise Shepherd, a family support assistant at the school, said: “The children were really engaged and enjoyed working on the topic very much.

“We are really proud of Luke and his winning design.”

John Upton, regional manager of JDP, said: “Gardens are important natural habitats right on our doorsteps.

“It’s been wonderful to see the variety and creativity of the children using their pens, pencils, paints, and even designing on the computer.

“They all used their flair and imagination to get creative with the task, but when judging the entries, Luke’s design in particular stood out for its artistic originality.”