Students at the newly-opened Cumbria Academy for Autism got creative in an international Lego league.

Pupils from across the county have taken part in regional finals of the FIRST Lego League, with the most recent venue being Lakes College West Cumbria.

Cockermouth technology company Createc backed a team from the specialist school, who entered for the first time.

Academy teacher Justine Ramsey said: “The commitment, excitement and hard work that the students have shown when faced with the difficult task of creating a Lego city, building a Lego robot and thinking of ideas for real life issues to solve, has been exceptional.

“I am so proud of each and every one of them. This whole project could not have gone ahead without the generous support and hard work from the Createc team.

“They provided us with the vast amount of Lego and Lego robotics equipment needed to compete. They also custom built us a table that enables us to have access to the Lego city without having to dismantle it every time.”

Rachael Chamberlain of Createc said: “We were keen to help with the autism academy because we feel it’s a brilliant addition to the educational offering in Cumbria.

“Young people with autism are often very good at finding solutions to mathematical challenges and it is incredibly important that they get this opportunity, not just from the technical side but also from the social development side.”

The events were organised by the REACT Foundation and C-STEM, aimed at inspiring students to pursue science and technology subjects.

C-STEM co-director Fran Ward said: “I am speechless. It has been another fantastic year. I love the attitude of the students who never give up and keep learning and trying new things.”