A HOME for the future helped a team of engineers win £500.

Students from St John's RC School, in Bishop Auckland, won the Enterprise in Construction Challenge, a competition that encourages young people to think about a career in the building trade.

The team, led by teacher Paula Watson, has been working since the autumn on a design for a four-bedroomed sustainable home and garden.

They told judges at Auckland Castle yesterday how they used the Internet for research.

A team from St John's was the runner up, with Ferryhill Business and Enterprise College in third.

The challenge is sponsored by the MMP group, from Newton Aycliffe, and was the first of its kind when it started four years ago. It is a joint venture between MMP and Construction Industry Training Board-Construction Skills, supported by the National Federation of Builders.