PICTURES: Back to school for Julie Walters as star unveil Smethwick pupils' sculptures

The actress, who is due to star in Channel Four's new hard-hitting drama National Treasure, was back on home turf in Smethwick to cast her eye over an array of metal artwork created by girls from the Youth Quake group.

The girls, who all attend Holly Lodge Primary or Holly Lodge High School, where Walters went as a child, created the Flying Tales of Folklore exhibition, with the help of Black Country sculptor Luke Perry.

The works on display at the Brasshouse Community Centre included iconic depictions from famous folk stories and fairytales, and feature Aladdin's Genie, Cinderella's slipper, The Wolf and The Boy among others. "They are really beautiful," Walters, aged 66, said of the works.

"It's a fabulous idea. It's brilliant what they're doing here.

"The sculptures looks really good and it's a wonderful thing for the community to come and look at as well."

Walters, who attended the event on Saturday with her sister-in-law Jill, said the event had allowed her to enjoy a trip down memory lane.

The Educating Rita, Billy Elliot and Harry Potter star, said: "It's changed such a lot since I was last here. When I was a child it was a really run down area but it looks like it's improving a lot. I love coming back to see my grandsons and great nephews. I love just coming back for a good look around as well, this is where I spent my youth.

"I have a look where my boyfriend's house was and where I used to go out to play."

Next week Walters stars alongside Robbie Coltrane and Andrea Riseborough in National Treasure, a new mini-series, which is directed by Marc Munden and was inspired by Operation Yewtree.

She said filming the show, in which she plays the wife of a popular television personality who is accused of historical sex offences, was emotionally draining.

"Robbie and Andrea have just been absolutely brilliant, and we have a wonderful director," she added.