When astronauts at NASA put out a challenge to all school children across the globe pupils at Heysham High School were some of the first to respond.

Ten pupils from the school joined in a 24-hour competition set by four astronauts from the Houston Space Station via the worldwide web.

The challenge was to make a prototype of a game or toy which has global and environmental themes and, out of 11 teams across the country, Heysham High, were chosen to present their 'Planet Protectors' game as the UK entry on the international stage.

They then had to present their winning solution to the NASA judges in Houston.

Although they didn't win the outright prize, Heysham topped the national league.

Their board game was designed for 6-10 year olds and used a rotating spinner to answer a series of questions and also included a trading cards element which required young people to use negotiating skills.

Tony Gill of the north west festival of skills and learning said: "This was a very exciting and innovative event which challenged the talent of young people from a range of countries.

The final rewarded the best young innovators in England and all the teams did extremely well competing against their counterparts across the globe.

Congratulations to Heysham High School who devised a very innovative and creative game and gave an excellent presentation.

They should feel very proud of themselves.

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David Hopkinson, head of technology at Heysham High School said: "This competition has done a tremendous amount for the young people taking part.

As well as gaining self-confidence, they responded brilliantly to the challenge displaying excellent team working skills, bringing their ideas and creative thinking to life.

The involvement of a prestigious organisation such as NASA was the icing on the cake.

He added: "It is also an excellent achievement for the school and highlights the energy and commitment in the region from pupils and teachers.

It shows that talented people with the right encouragement and opportunity can compete, not only on the UK stage, but also in the global arena and achieve a great deal."

The team from Heysham High School were Carla McLoughlin, Suzanne Dryden, Stacey Lonergan, Lucy Cavanagh, Steven Boult, David Parkinson, Matthew Gilmore, Warren Grice, Paul Rogerson and Marcus Harrington.

Heysham High School will now attend a special exhibition, SkillCity, in November and display their winning board game at the event which is expected to attract up to 80,000 visitors.