SOAP opera fans at a County Durham special school created their own version of EastEnders for a writing project.
A group of 11 to 16-year-olds from The Meadows, in Spennymoor, also produced a magazine during sessions with members of New Writing North, of Newcastle.
A £2,000 grant from the Newcastle Building Society's community fund paid for the course, which ran over two terms and followed a pilot scheme last year.
Writer-in-residence Andy Croft worked with the youngsters on the projects.
The course aimed to use writing to raise the self-esteem and confidence of the pupils.
Fay Murray, the school's English co-ordinator, said: "These youngsters need continuity in their lives as many have experienced trauma and never produced written work of their own before. This grant has provided continuity."
New Writing North is the literary development agency for the Northern Arts region, and operates from an office at Live Theatre, on Newcastle Quayside.
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