PUPILS from a Pendle school became stars for the day when they were invited to appear on Blue Peter to show off their badges.

Students at Marsden Community Primary School in Nelson impressed the iconic show's producers after they collected 35 badges.

Headteacher Gemma Whaling said: “Last year, two of our students got Blue Peter badges and we made a big fuss of them in assembly.

“After that, more and more children were coming in saying that they had also got a Blue Peter badge.

“They were given them for all sorts of different reasons, writing stories, writing reviews and I was just really impressed.

“We always encourage them to do things at home with the families and so as a way of motivating them to keep their good work up, I said that if they got to 20 badges before Easter, I would write to the show.

“Well they were absolutely fantastic and we have about 35 badges altogether.”

The 27 pupils and teachers travelled together to Media City at Salford Quays, where the classic children’s show is filmed and got to appear on the show, talk to presenters and even meet the Blue Peter dog, Iggy.

Presenters Barney Harwood, Lindsey Russell and Radzi Chinyanganya spoke to two sisters, Maleeha and Abeera Abbass, who sparked the campaign to collect as many badges as possible.

They told Lindsey that their mum had always wanted a Blue Peter badge as a child but was not lucky enough to get one and so her daughters took it upon themselves to get some for her.

Barney spoke to Tanisha Akram who said that she got her badge for writing a review of the show and to Anam Riaz who got her badge for writing a story that was inspired by the words of children’s author Jacqueline Wilson.

The children appeared on the show on CBBC on Thursday with Miss Bibby, their teacher who still has her own Blue Peter badges from her childhood in the 1960s.

Mrs Whaling said: “It was a lovely sunny day and we all had a fantastic time.

“Everything about the show was kept top secret until we got there so the children had no idea that Union J would be performing live.

“They were stood at the side of the stage while Union J were singing and it was just incredibly exciting and incredibly special for them.”