FIVE students at a Darlington school let their creativity flow to win a national story writing competition.

Pupils at Hummersknott Academy used their spare time to hone their creative writing skills to produce a story in 100 words that has a twist in the tale.

Some used inspiration from classic fairytales to create their own original tale, while others adapted an existing story, such as The Wizard of Oz.

The winning students - Alanah Chambers, Owen Slater, Olivia Rowell, Emmarose Phillips and Catherine Roberts - will now have their mini sagas published in the book 'A Twist in the Tale,' representing the best young storytellers in the country.

A spokeswoman for the school said: “Catherine, who wrote an original story, and Owen, who adapted the Wizard of Oz, said that they had enjoyed the challenge of writing the story and had a good feeling seeing their work published.

“They were really pleased that their English teachers had encouraged them to enter the competition. Olivia also chose to adapt a fairy tale, choosing Cinderella as her inspiration.”

The competition was open to 11 to 18-year-olds across the country.

English teacher, Gail Trappe, who co-ordinated the entries said: “This competition has been a fantastic opportunity for our students to demonstrate their creativity and explore their imaginations.”