Stanford-in-the-Vale Primary School near Wantage has won a Certificate of Merit in this year's Blake Shield Competition that encourages naturalists of the future.

The success continues the school's outstanding track record in the competition run by the British Naturalists' Trust.

Stanford won the competition last year and in 2004 for their wildlife projects.

For this year's competition, the after-school Wildlife Watch Club children drew their inspiration from a disastrous fire that destroyed a row of old cottages in the village two years ago.

The children received their award from David Bellamy, the internationally renowned natural historian, at the prize giving ceremony at the University of Northampton.

Stanford Primary won its certificate in the section open to the seven-to-eleven age group with an adult team leader, for a natural history or conservation project .

Stanford's project was Our Village and Local Countryside. The children were inspired by a fire that devastated a row of thatched cottages on Church Green. All the residents were rescued and no-one was hurt.

Pupils at the school watched the cottages being restored and had a chance to see long straw wheat for thatching being grown locally.

They learnt about the old craft of thatching at every stage as they watched the cottages being re-thatched, and listened to the craftsmen.

The pupils made a model of the cottages, wrote a description of the restoration work and put up a display in the church.

The project leader was Margaret Grant, 74, who has been the school's wildlife mentor for 21 years and runs the Wildlife Watch Club.