GLASS “postcards from the past” will be preserved in a new artwork being created by schoolchildren.

The £6,000 artwork featuring ten A4 sized “postcards” will be created by children from Cestria Primary School, in Chester-le-Street.

They will work with residents at The Elms, the new £6.5m extra care scheme in the town built by Cestria Community Housing, to interpret residents’ memories of the area.

The youngsters will then get the chance to visit Newcastle artist Sue Woolhouse, at her workshop in the Ouseburn Valley, where they will create the designs ready to be transferred on to glass panels.

Sue, a former freelance lecturer at Sunderland University, trained at the Royal College of Art in London and now specialises in designing and fabricating architectural glass

Once complete, local sculptor Neil Canavan will mount the postcards in a wooden carving.

Community development officer Lewis Rimington said: “This is an intergenerational project that will not only see residents of The Elms sharing some precious memories with the children, but also giving everyone involved the chance to take part in a vibrant and exciting project, learning new skills along the way.

“After it’s finished the artwork will hang in pride of place in The Elms - a fantastic addition to the building.

“The Elms is a community hub and projects like this help us create strong links within that community.”