John Hunt Academy pupils were awarded prizes by Newark town mayor Pamela Ball following their entries in the John Carr architectural competition to design Newark’s Town Hall

The mayor awarded prizes to schoolchildren following their entries in an architectural competition in memory of the Newark Town Hall's architect.

Students across the town were given an architectural drawing of the Town Hall's ground floor and invited to let their imaginations run wild while redesigning the upper floors.

Eleven pupils at John Hunt Academy, Balderton, received certificates, some highly commended entries and one of the pupils won the competition’s first prize.

The awards were handed out by Newark’s town mayor, Pamela Ball who allowed the children to ask her questions about her mayorship and clothing at the end of the assembly.

“I think it is really special to be invited to these special occasions. I love being invited to the local events especially when they involve children,” said the mayor.

She added: “I have grandchildren of my own and I know how important this is, it is a fabulous thing to do.

The designs could be inspired by the architecture of the past or ultra modern, however, it should reflect each of the children’s creativity.

The winner of the competition, Maisy Dixon, said: “I feel really happy because I never normally own first place.

“This is a really happy moment for me, meeting the mayor is one of the best moments in my life so far.”

Tanya Brewster, the teacher involved in the project said: “It is really exciting for the children to be part of it and they enjoyed designing and creating their idea of what the town hall could look like.

“ We were really proud of all the children for the effort they put in to their entries, and the children were all excited to learn about the history of Newark Town Hall.