SCHOOLCHILDREN from across Darlington have risen to the challenge of completing a top secret mission to make a positive difference.

Darlington Credit Union collaborated with the town’s primary schools to launch a creative arts competition, with the winning school earning an interactive science party.

Schools involved in the contest were hand-delivered a confidential dossier containing a coded mission for pupils to solve, which outlined the challenge.

After cracking the code, the youngsters set to work to design a helpful robot that can make a difference to the community.

The initiative was launched to support Darlington’s Festival of Ingenuity to celebrate the town’s engineering heritage on Friday, July 8, and Saturday, July 9.

Tony Brockley, Darlington Credit Union chief executive, said: “STEM subjects are becoming increasingly popular and significant in today’s age, so the competition is a great way to get schoolchildren involved in a fun, yet educational, initiative with an emphasis on science and creative thinking.

“In July, Darlington will be enjoying a celebration of everything that is ingenious about the town and Darlington Credit Union wanted to play its part in getting people involved. By using our connections with the primary schools involved in our Young Savers’ Scheme, we came up with the idea of hosting a competition and based it on the theme of the weekend.

"As the public will decide the outcome of the competition, I would urge people to come down and support our town’s schools and their pupils, as well as this fantastic initiative.

"I am excited for the event and would like to wish everyone the very best of luck in the competition."

Festival-goers can vote for the winner as entries go on display inside the Dolphin Centre on Friday (July 8).