YOUNGSTERS travelled through the decades as part of a two-day project aimed at raising the profile of history.

Lower Darwen Primary School pupils dressed up as different characters from the dinosaur age through the Tudor and Victorian periods and up to the eighties as part of the Step Back in Time day.

There were chimney sweeps, dinosaurs, seventies flower power girls, pirates and vikings as well as an appearance by Julius Caesar and Cleopatra.

A pop-up museum was created in the library with parents invited to bring in artefacts through the ages while a theatre group also put on a history performance.

Headteacher at the Milking Lane school Steven Cumbo said he wanted to raise the profile of the subject as well as do something fun.

He said: "Each class had a different historical period. Year six were given the eighties, year five were Victorians. Others were dinosaurs.

"Each teacher chose an era and created a different activity. We had one class doing a Tudor dance.

"The year six group got to play records on an old record player and we had a Victorian classroom."

History subject leader Nicola Monaghan also asked for historical artefacts to be brought into school for the pop-up museum.

Mr Cumbo said: "We got so many artefacts. The place was full and the reception class especially were fascinated by the objects.

"We had everything from vinyl records, photographs, toys from the 1930s, video games from the eighties and an army helmet.

"Someone brought in a Victorian iron and another brought in their great great grandfather's war medals. There was a really good response."

He said the two-day event launched with an assembly and finished with a slide show of pictures.

"For me history is important as a subject and I think children love finding out about the past but it has got to be done in a way that is not boring and we achieved that," he said.

"The response from the children was brilliant. Every child and every teacher dressed up as a historical figure. It was a really good effort. The parents put a lot of work into the costumes.

"It is something we will be doing again. You can see how much the children got out of it."