Teenagers met a TV historian and a cabinet minister at the launch of a new scheme to teach children about the First World War.

Emily Broughton and Matthew Nelson from Ormiston Rivers Academy in Burnham were chosen to visit The Flanders Fields Memorial Garden at The Guards Museum, Wellington Barracks, London.

The garden contains soil transported from the battlefields of Flanders and will be open to the public later this year.

The visit was for the launch of the First World War Centenary Battlefield Tours Programme and the 14-year-old also met historian Dan Snow and MP Eric Pickles, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government.

Matthew said: “The venue was amazing; I loved seeing all the cool things like First World War uniforms and medals on display.

“The thing I found really great is the appreciation shown and how everyone spoke about how the war was fought for our freedom, but it came at a big price.”