TEESSIDE teenagers are in a class of their own when it comes to designing a dream leisure centre.

A team of year nine girls from St Hild's School, in Hartlepool, have done just that to beat off 125 rival teams in a competition sponsored by the construction industry.

The girls designed a leisure centre for Hartlepool's Victoria Harbour development, complete with a roof moulded with a ripple effect to reflect the waves in the sea.

They also had to investigate the site, plan for health and safety measures, and construct an architectural model to win the Eighth Wonder of Tees Valley competition, run by CITB-ConstructionSkills and Tees Valley Aim Higher.

The team, called Pure, won the grand final and £1,000 for their school, courtesy of engineering company Halcrow.

Another part of the competition asked people to vote for their favourite manmade landmark as the 'Wonder of the Tees Valley'.

They voted the Middlesbrough's Transporter Bridge in first place followed by the Brick Train in Darlington, Tees Barrage in Stockton, Hartlepool Marina and Historic Quay, Guisborough Priory and St Hilda's Church on the Headland in Hartlepool.

Terry Hanlon, education officer at CITB-ConstructionSkills said: "The entries have been outstanding.

"The competition has been very exciting and has served its purpose by giving girls in the Tees Valley a chance to see what a career in construction could offer them."