A village school has literally drafted in the troops to give their grounds a much-needed lift.

A team of eight senior aircraftmen from RAF Marham were parachuted into Hockering Primary Academy, near Dereham, for a day with a mission to brighten the place up for children and staff.

Executive headteacher Rebecca Newman said: 'We could not believe our eyes when we came into school on the morning after.

'It must have taken them hours to do all that work. It was starting to look a little tired, but now we have some really smart-looking, tidy exterior woodwork.'

The team was organised by Sgt Al Butterfill, whose children Jaime and Alex attend the school.

He said: 'Local communities often provide so much support to servicemen and women. Wherever they might be stationed, be it in the UK or overseas, it is always nice to be able to give something back.'