PUPILS from across Darlington flocked to St Matthew and St Luke's Church for an interactive Christmas Journey.

Year 2 pupils from schools in the town visited the church, on Brinkburn Road, to take part in a special production, The Christmas Journey.

Previously held at St. John The Evangelist Church on Neasham Road, The Christmas Journey is an interactive experience which tells the Christmas story through music, puppets, dressing up, and story tellers.

Rev. Lissa Scott, Priest-in-Charge of St Matthew and St Luke’s, said: “Over 100 children and their teachers came through the door each day, and you only had to look at the children's faces to see what an impact it had on them.

"Our ultimate aim is to be able to offer this experience to every Year 2 pupil in the Borough. The Christmas Journey is offered free of charge to primary schools within the Borough, and we are grateful for all those churches and organisations who generously donated money for this event, including a generous and unexpected gift from the Freemasons, which meant we were able to run the event for seven days this year instead of the usual four.

“Events such as this draw heavily on volunteers, and I am grateful to each of the 44 people from across Darlington who gave of their time to make this year’s Christmas Journey such a success.

"Next year we plan on increasing opportunities for schools by running for eight days in November and December."