A FILM company founded by an Allendale woman has received praise from Sir David Attenborough.

Siren Films was established by Dr Wendy McEvoy in the 1980s, and produces a wide range of films and documentaries globally.

Some of its productions have been linked to the work of the veteran broadcaster in terms of style and techniques used.

This summer, Siren alerted Sir David to its documentaries about child development and behaviour.

To the amazement of Dr Wendy and her team, he replied with a ringing endorsement.

Sir David Attenborough said: “One of the commonest questions I get asked, as you might guess, is what is your favourite animal?

“The answer I give depends on the nature of the audience, but if there are adults there, and they seem really interested in the animals I’ve been showing them, I often say, ‘A human child at pretty well any age up to the age of six.’

“Of course Siren, your films make very plain why that is so. I watched your films with unalloyed delight. Thank you so much for enabling me to do so.”

Such encouraging words from one of the best documentary makers in the business have encouraged the team at Siren to push ahead in producing more quality films and training resources to educate people about the wonders of child development.

Managing director at Siren Films Kat McEvoy said: “We are so honoured to receive such a wonderful reply from Sir David.

“He has always been an inspiration to us, especially when projects have taken a long period of time to achieve the quality we want.

“It’s so easy to make a film nowadays, but we are old school and believe in putting the hours in to capture the special moments that go on to be the core narrative of the piece.”