FIFTY youngsters are getting ready to celebrate the end of the Second World War by holding a street party at their school with songs, food and clothes from the Forties.

Their mothers have been given old recipes to prepare cakes, scones and sandwiches for the party on Friday at St Mary's Primary School, in Barnard Castle.

The pupils have been gathering facts about the war to fit in with a history project being carried out at nearby Stainton army camp, which was a battle training base during the hostilities.

Headteacher Liz Heffernan said: "They have all enjoyed learning about the war, so we felt it only right to round off our work with an old-fashioned street party.

"A lot of mothers will be using old recipes to prepare authentic party food from that era, so it should be a really exciting event.

We are all looking forward to it."

The children have collected details about local people who served in the forces, women who were in the Land Army, military bases in the area and evacuees who arrived from industrial towns.

They are making flags and banners for the party, studying battlefield poetry and learning wartime songs.

Teacher Paul Tucker, who is leading the project, said: "Some of the children have relatives who served in the war, so they were keen to find out what conditions were like in those days."

Anyone who has photographs, ration books or other relics from the war years is being invited to lend them to the school so they can be put on show on the party day. Former service people and evacuees will also be welcome.