Barnard Castle's bright sparks prosper at science challenge

YOUNG chemists hit upon a winning formula in a national contest designed to promote science.
Students from Barnard Castle School secured a place for the fourth time in the national final of Top of the Bench, organised by the Royal Society of Chemistry.
Toby Robinson, 15, of Hudswell, near Richmond, Ryan Liu, 14, of Bishop Auckland, Caleb Ellis, 16, of Dalton and Joe Roff, 14, of Gainford, pitted their molecular minds against the best chemists in the region. Held at Teesside University, the regional heat saw the lead change several time in rounds covering practical lab work, guess the element and true and false questions. But the Barney boys turned up the heat in the final buzzer round with an emphatic performance.
For the fourth time in the past seven years, Barnard Castle School will now field a team in the national final after Easter.