JUST like the children in Mary Poppins, youngsters from Colchester have been flying kites for half term.

But before they could take to the park, they made them at a special Chinese kite-making workshop at Colchester Castle.

Using paper straws, wool and tissue paper, children had a choice of two types of kite to make, a basic diamond-shape and a more elaborate oval-shaped one.

Workshop leader Claire Driver said: "The Chinese would have made their kites out of silk and bamboo, so the straw and tissue paper ones are a little delicate but you still should be able to fly them."