LEOMINSTER MP Peter Temple-Morris is urging teenagers to join moves to keep the memory of the wartime UK-US alliance alive.

Mr Temple-Morris, a member of the British-American Parliamentary Group, attended a reception at the House of Commons, where the American ambassador, Philip Lader, announced proposals for a competition on the issue.

Students aged from 14-16 are being asked to interview grandparents or others with personal wartime experiences and write essays on how the British-American alliance affected their families, communities, the two nations and the world.

Three winners will receive trips to Washington, with visits to the White House and Congress. There are also 12 prizes of personal computers.

In a letter to Mr Temple-Morris, Mr Lader explained the idea behind the initiative: "Our dual aim is to honour the generation that won the war while encouraging a deeper appreciation by young people today of the great sacrifices that were made to safeguard the freedoms they now enjoy."

Judges include the former senator Bob Dole, Saving Private Ryan director and star Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks, Sir David Frost and author Ken Follett.

"I do hope our schools will respond to this valuable competition, which presents a wonderful opportunity to gain historical knowledge and also, for the winners, to participate in an exciting visit to Washington," said Mr Temple-Morris.

Details about the competition are available on 0207 499 9000 or www.dfee.gov. uk/usalliance