STUDENTS from Prudhoe Community High School are celebrating a double victory after taking home two top prizes at a competition as part of the Great Exhibition of the North.

The London North Eastern Railway (LNER) Platform X Art of the Possible competition was held at the Discovery Museum in Newcastle on July 19.

Schools from across the North-East were invited to present their ideas to improve rail travel to a panel of industry experts, and 15 teams from 11 schools made it through to the finals last week.

Jonah Davies-Jones was the winner of the category looking at how the East Coast Main Line could help support the Government’s Northern Powerhouse initiative.

His proposals included making rail travel more sustainable; providing better facilities for cyclists and more opportunities for young people for apprenticeships and training. And the Station Compass team, made up of Emma Boaden and Dan Bell, won the category looking at how to make rail transport the first choice for future generations.

They came up with the idea for an augmented reality app which would help people find their way around railway stations.

Headteacher Deborah Reeman said: “This is a huge achievement for our students, especially to have worked so hard on their presentations right up to the end of term. This just proves that Prudhoe students really are some of the best in the North- East.”

As well as winning £2,000 for the school, the winners received family vouchers for first class travel anywhere on the LNER network and a chance to spend time with its innovation team to understand how their projects could become a reality. They also had a chance to see Stephenson’s Rocket on its return to the North-East as part of the Great Exhibition of the North.