AN all-girl team has reached the national finals of an enterprise contest.

The five-strong squad from Belmont Community School, in Belmont, Durham City, has qualified for the finale of the Astellas Innovation Challenge having won the North-East regional heat.

The year 11 pupils were challenged to design an innovative smartphone application to promote healthy living for children aged five to seven and came up with an app titled ‘Penny & Friends’.

The final will be held in London on Tuesday and the team - Rachel Daniel, Ellie Hinds, Megan Wilkinson, Tilly Suddes and Samantha Davison - will travel to the capital for the event along with school staff Andi Clarke and Elaine Clark.

Their entry will be judged by experts from the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), with Rachel Riley, from TV’s Countdown and The Gadget Show, as host.

In a statement, the girls said: “We are very pleased to be representing the North-East in the finals.

“We think that living a healthy lifestyle is important and that our idea is a good way to help younger children develop healthy habits.

“We’ve also gained a lot of experience through the competition and learned how science, technology, engineering and maths are all combined to create an app.”

Julie Ryder, who leads the team, said: “I’m delighted that five of our year 11 girls have won the regional competition and wish them every success in the final.

“At Belmont we are keen to promote STEM subjects to all of our students.”