SCHOOLS have been decorating Christmas trees as part of a competition to be judged by Miriam Margolyes.

The competition, which is being run by the Forestry Commission using trees it has grown in Dalby Forest, challenged the children to decorate their trees on the theme of Charles Dickens.

Entries close on December 16, at which time the trees will be judged - and a winner picked - by the

actress.

Participating pupils include Year 4 and 5 children from Thornton-le-Dale, Kirkbymoorside and Northstead, as well as pupils from Helmsley, Wykeham and Gillamoor.

The pupils decorated their Dickensian trees in the Courtyard in Low Dalby.

Forestry Commission staff introduced the sessions, including teaching children about the lifecycle of trees and the wildlife that lives within them, before making the decorations from natural materials.

This was then followed by outdoor activities led by Scarborough-based Hidden Horizons, which is also offering woodland walks for families over Christmas at Dalby.

There is also a tree-decoration contest between secondary schools in the area, held at the Milton Rooms in Malton.

The primary schools’ trees will be on show in the Low Dalby courtyard, where homegrown trees are sold.