ELECTION fever hit Derwentside as hundreds of pupils from 41 schools campaigned for their right to fight for a better life for all young people.

A record number of candidates stood in this year's elections for Derwentside's Young People's Forum.

It is a campaigning body with a budget of £10,000 to spend on youth projects across the district.

A total of 211 candidates, aged eight to 19, their families and friends, were at the Louisa Centre, in Stanley, for the three-hour count of 9,000 votes.

Megan Wright, ten, and her mother, Charlotte, from South Moor, got the result they had been waiting all night for.

Megan beat eight fellow candidates to be voted in as one of two new members for the South Moor ward.

She said: "I am really pleased people want me to be their voice on the forum.

"I have lots of ideas, but top of my list is improving the local park. The park I go to is not very good, it has a lot of graffiti and rude pictures that spoil it, and all the swings are gone, so we have to go on the little one."

Courtney French, from Catchgate, polled 357 votes and Philip Jewitt, from Lanchester, was not far behind, with 308 votes. Other popular candidates included Karl Pitt, from Tanfield, with 288 and Phillip Marshall, with 194.

Current chairman Phillip Marshall is looking forward to working with the new members.

He said: "I can't wait to hear all their ideas and dreams for the future.

"I have been involved in the forum for nearly five years now, and it just keeps getting better and better. Everyone is so excited and enthusiastic about the future. It's fantastic."

The Young People's Forum is part of an award-winning young people's project called Spice.

It was launched in 2001 with the aim of involving young people in democracy and community issues.