Teams of schoolchildren from all over the UK will travel to London on December 16 for the final of the wood. for good Design a Bridge competition to be held at the Institution of Civil Engineers.

The competition was based on a project in Norway where a modern timber bridge was built to a 500-year-old design by Leonardo da Vinci.

In the UK, entrants had to design a bridge that would look good and work well as an engineering structure. It also had to acknowledge the importance of sustainability and the environment.

More than 130 teams entered and in the age categories 12 years or under and 16-19 year olds two teams have been shortlisted. In the middle age group – 12-16 year olds – three teams have been shortlisted and a highly commended award has been made due to the high number of entries in the category.

All the teams have produced 1:10 models of their bridges along with photographs, drawings and additional research information. The models will be load tested to show they can carry the weight of pedestrians.