THE House of Lords came to north Lancashire when a Lib Dem peer chatted to students at Carnforth High School over lunch.

Head boy Charlie Mawson and head girl Faye Ridgeway said the opportunity to speak to Lord Sharkey had been "amazing".

The peer is known for his campaigning on Turing's Law, which saw thousands of men posthumously pardoned for sexual offences that would not be crimes today.

He also chaired the Lib Dems' 2010 general election campaign.

During his visit, Lord Sharkey ate lunch and chatted with Year 11 students; gave a talk about how the House of Lords works; and answered questions about life in the Houses of Parliament.

Charlie and Faye said: "This visit supports the hard work our teachers put in to giving us vital knowledge and making us responsible citizens.

"We feel visits like this have helped all the students involved to engage in politics and the political process; hopefully it means we’ll all be more likely to vote in the future."

Lord Sharkey's visit was part of the Lord Speaker's outreach programme, Peers in Schools.

Carnforth High School principal Tim Iddon said: "This visit has been a great chance for our students to actively engage with a prominent politician.”