CHILDREN from two schools in the Devizes area have embarked on a voyage of discovery thanks partly to Wiltshire astronaut Tim Peake.

Youngsters from Southbroom St James Academy and Holy Trinity, Great Cheverell, have been planting seeds that have been in space with Mr Peake as part of a scientific experiment.

Both schools were chosen by the RHS to take part in the test that will measure if the seeds that have been in space will grow differently to ones that have stayed on the ground.

In September, 2kg of rocket seeds were flown to the International Space Station Soyuz 44S where they spent several months in microgravity before returning to Earth in March.

Southbroom St James teacher Julie Bolton said: "We are very excited to be taking part in Rocket Science. This experiment is a fantastic way of teaching our children to think more scientifically and share their findings with the whole community."

Holy Trinity head Mercedes Henning said: "It is a tremendous honour to be part of this, and it is a really great way for children to learn about science in an authentic and important scientific experiment. We are very grateful to Liz Read who runs our gardening club for coordinating this for us."