STUDENTS from Latchford’s Priestley College were invited to the Ministry of Defence (MoD) after impressing officials with their ideas for solving a crisis in a war-torn country.

The public service students, many of whom want to join the armed forces, had taken part in an outreach programme which challenged them to deal with a humanitarian crisis caused by war in the fictional country of Dacan.

Programme manager, Andy Gillman MBE, invited them to the MoD’s Whitehall headquarters to receive certificates and speak about how the experience had helped them.

William Upton, who wants to join the Royal Navy, said: “We did well and really understood what we were trying to achieve.

“We faced some tough questions, but were able to answer them.”

During their trip to the MoD, the students were interested to experience the high-security procedures in place.

Former Culcheth High Schol student, Olivia Hoddes, explained: “As soon as you walked in you were not allowed to do anything until your ID had been checked.

“We had to put our bags through the metal detectors- it was like being at an airport.”

Joining Priestley College at the ceremony were eight other schools and colleges who also took part in a presentation explaining how the project had made a difference to them.

Sadie Singler, a former student at Cardinal Newman, said: “It was a great opportunity for all of us who took part and one that we can talk about on our CVs and in interviews in future.”