A mosaic designed by children at a now-closed village school has been preserved.

North Yorkshire County Council's housing development company, Brierley Homes is building a number of properties in Swainby, between Northallerton and Stokesley.

The Whorlton Meadows scheme is on the site of the former Swainby and Potto Primary School, where in 1999 pupils designed the mosaic with the help of charity, Rural Arts.

Sited on the floor of a new classroom, the mosaic is a rectangle within a circle and incorporates local flowers and wildlife.

The school site has stood empty since it closed at the end of 2017, and the buildings are being demolished to make way for the new homes, but before the area was cleared, resident and parish councillor Jonathan Skidmore asked if the mosaic could be preserved.

“Workers happily gave their time to recover the mosaic,” said Jonathan. “Since it was recovered, a former secretary at the school who worked there for over 20 years has been in touch happy that it has been saved.”

The parish council has restored a historic pinfold, or sheep pen, opposite the village's Blacksmiths Arms pub, and the mosaic is now in there.

Brierley Homes’ construction manager, Stuart Ede, said: “We pride ourselves on working with the communities in which we are building new homes and so when we were asked if the mosaic could be saved we were happy to help.

“The children had put a lot of time and effort into its design and it would have been a great shame if it had been lost. It is fantastic to know it will now take pride of place in the village and generations to come will be able to see it.”