BRIDGE builders Warren Lyon and Sam Smith are celebrating silver success in London.

The youngsters captured runners-up spot in the prestigious K'Nex Junior Engineers of Great Britain awards -- raising the profile of two schools within Leigh Education Action Zone.

Warren, aged 12, and 11-year-old Sam earned the right to appear in the national finals after winning a school competition at Bickershaw CE Primary and went on to win the regional final in Ormskirk.

Now first-year students at Westleigh High their path to the RAF Museum in Hendon began in the Spring when Salford Science and Technology Research Organisation engineer Lex Thakur visited Bickershaw as part of a pioneering project endorsed by Leigh EAZ and Wigan Education Business Partnership.

Y6 youngsters were challenged to build a bridge, using the cutting edge technology of the popular K'Nex construction kits which help promote the future of engineering.

They responded with great enthusiasm -- all the way to the K'Nex finals.

Delighted Bickershaw head Paul Radcliffe said: "This is a magnificent accolade for Sam and Warren, reflecting their hard work and commitment to the project. It is also a tremendous honour for the school and its dedicated staff who have striven to raise attainment in design technology to this high standard."

Advisory teacher Glenn Aspinall added: "I am impressed by the calibre of the young students who have done the Zone proud and who have shown again the high level of attainment of work-related learning completed in the Zone."