There were wands, wizardry and weird and wonderful food when pupils at a Hogwarts lookalike school celebrated boy magician Harry Potter.

Myddelton College, in Denbigh, was shortlisted as a possible location for filming the books of author J K Rowling and the resemblance was striking when the dining hall at lunchtime was filled with students aged from seven to 18 and lit by hanging lines of candle-lights.

The effect was heightened when so many, including the staff, had thrown themselves into the spirit of the event and donned fancy dress while the school catering staff had conjured a magical menu for the occasion.

Highlights were Hagrid’s Highland Vegetable Soup, Steamed Bowtruckle Green Beans, Weasley’s Wicked Bacon Butties and Honeyduke’s Squishy Chocolate Crunch washed down with Fizz Whizz Punch.

It was all in a good cause too with money raised for the school’s nominated charity, Help For Heroes.

Headmaster Andrew Allman, suitably attired as Hogwarts Head Albus Dumbledore, said: “We love to celebrate our own Harry Potter Day and dress up accordingly because it’s good fun and it raises money for a very good cause.

“It has been here since 1859 so that’s 165 years and part of the school look so very much like Hogwarts and the story is that it was considered for the filming of the book.

“It’s been wonderfully decorated for this event and everyone has entered into the spirit of things and has had a brilliant time.

“We chose to raise money for Help For Heroes because Myddelton College has been awarded the Combined Cadet Force Gold Employer Recognition Award and we are one of the few schools in Wales to receive Military recognition which enables us to provide specialised support to boarders from forces families.”

There was a fancy dress competition for the pupils of the prep school with prizes handed out by Prep School Headmistress Katie Gresley-Jones who was also in costume.

She said: “The prep school pupils have had a wonderful time and have really entered into the spirit of the day with some fantastic outfits.

“We’re having a very good year. We are now up to 60 pupils and have grown by

30 per cent each year for the last three years so that’s very positive.

“It means we can run a very balanced curriculum including our shared commitment with the senior school to the outdoors and there’s a half day every fortnight where we take the children off-site for activities.

“They really enjoy it and it’s also very important that we use diversity in learning by spending time outside in the natural environment.”

There was a big thumbs up from 10-year-old Lizzie Hughes, from Denbigh, one of the prizewinners, who said: “It’s been fun today because I love Harry Potter. I’m on the fifth book and I’ve seen all the films and it’s great to dress up today as if we were in Hogwarts.”

Myddelton College, an award winning Independent co-educational day and boarding school, was the UK’s newest independent school when it opened in the autumn of 2016 and is the only school in North Wales with a 5G network.

The school currently has 360 pupils, 99 of them boarders and 70 staff, 35 of them teachers and Mr Allman added: “We want to provide to well-rounded education and give all our pupils a breadth of opportunities, indoors and outdoors including the chance to work with and form bonds with people and countries all over the world.”

For more information about Myddelton College go to https://www.myddeltoncollege.com/