The National Lottery has awarded a commemorative blue plaque in recognition of a project to boost tourism around Hadrian's Wall using a film shot from a bird's perspective.

The Vindolanda Trust, which preserves a fort on the Roman Empire's northern border, received a £145,000 grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund to make the eagle's eye film two years ago.

Since then the film, shot from a helicopter, has intrigued experts and first-time visitors to the Roman Army Museum, at Greenhead, a few miles west of the Vindalanda Fort, which is near Hexham, Northumberland.

The 15-minute film features a fly over a section of the Wall - a World Heritage site - followed by a virtual reality reconstruction of how the local forts may have looked.

The blue plaque was awarded as part of a national campaign to highlight examples of ''money well-spent'' across the UK.

Andrew Birley, Vindalanda archaeologist, said: ''The Eagle's Eye film project highlights the amazing potential of Hadrian's Wall and the impact that its superb sites, like Vindalanda, have on both the cultural and economic framework of our region.''

Professor Richard Bailey, chairman of the Heritage Lottery Fund in the North East, was a huge fan of the Wall and its surroundings.

''You only have to look around you and see the countryside all around,'' he added.

''This is a World Heritage Site, after all.''