IRVINE youngsters who won a national competition have been awarded their prize – at a VIP ceremony at the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo.

Pupils from Annick Primary School scooped the top prize in the Royal British Legion Scotland national primary school competition by uncovering incredible stories of WWI in their local community to commemorate the centenary of the war. Ten pupils from the school had dinner in Edinburgh Castle before watching the performance from premier seats.

The pupils were presented with trophies and medals from Legion Scotland’s CEO Kevin Gray MM and Producer of the Tattoo Brigadier David Allfrey within Edinburgh Castle. They were then chauffeur driven home in limousines provided by Co-operative Funeral Care – the competition sponsor.

Jenny Ryrie, the winning teacher at Annick Primary, said: “The pupils had a fantastic evening and it was great to see them be rewarded for all the hard work they put into the project.” Kevin Gray MM, CEO of Legion Scotland said: “We are delighted that pupils from Annick Primary enjoyed their evening. Their research and entry into our competition was fantastic and really showed how much they had engaged with their history and heritage through the stories of real people. “ He added: “Their project and stories make a huge impact on all who read their entry and the prize goes to a well deserving winner.” To win the Legion Scotland ‘Stories of WWI’s Families’ competition, the pupils had to uncover real life stories of how the outbreak of WWI impacted on local families and communities and capture these in three pictures and 500 words to help bring them to life. Annick Primary won the competition following an online public vote attracting thousands of votes. Their entry ‘A Friend Of Age, A Guide of Youth’ uncovered the story of Ross Tollerton VC. He was one of two soldiers from Irvine to be awarded the Victoria Cross for his bravery. The school also planted 243 trees to commemorate the men from Irvine who gave their lives in the First World War.

Check out our picture spread on Annick’s VIP day in next week’s Irvine Times!

For more information visit www.legionscotland.org.uk. Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo