Hadley Learning Community pupils take their seats on the BBC sofa

Youngsters from a Telford primary school got the chance to be TV presenters for the day when a production crew paid a special visit.

BBC Midlands Today brought its famous red sofa to Hadley Learning Community primary school as part of a roadshow around the region marking the show’s 60th anniversary celebrations.

Milli Couzens, the school’s deputy head, said: “We were delighted to be chosen to be part of the special 60th anniversary show, and to wish the BBC Midlands Today team a happy birthday.

“Reporter Ben Sidwell and a filming team brought the famous red sofa into the school on the final day of its tour around the region, giving a group of our students the chance to feel what it’s like to be TV stars.”

Three of the youngsters – Alfred Pennington, Maisie Phillips and Zanaiah McFarlane – were invited to ‘become’ show presenters Nick Owen, Mary Rhodes, and Shafali Oza for the special broadcast.

Milli said: “It was a fantastic experience for Alfred, Maisie, Zanaiah and all of their peers to learn what goes on behind the scenes on a show like BBC Midlands Today.

“We’re really grateful to the producers for choosing HLC primary to play a starring role in such a special show, and create a memory which I’m sure our pupils will never forget.”

HLC primary is part of the Learning Community Trust, a multi-academy trust which spans education for children and young people from the age of 2-16, and has more than a dozen sites across Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin,.

Pic: The BBC Midlands Today crew filming at HLC Primary, with their famous red sofa