FOUR students joined North-West Durham MP Hilary Armstrong on a one-day visit to Auschwitz-Birkenau in Poland.

The trip was organised by the Holocaust Educational Trust and is part of its Lessons from Auschwitz Project. It will eventually offer two students from every sixth form and college in the country a chance to learn more about the Holocaust.

The students were Natalie Dixon and Sam Petty from Derwentside College, in Consett, and James Davis and Gabrielle Moore, from St Bede's School and Sixth Form College, in Lanchester.

Ms Armstrong said: "This was a very powerful reminder of the horrors of the Second World War and the suffering that millions of people went through.

"I know the students from our area got a lot out of the visit and I'm sure it will have made a big impact on them.

They were joined by other Members of Parliament and students from across the North-East in the visit that included a tour of Auschwitz, group discussions and a commemorative ceremony. at the ruins of the gas chamber..

The Lessons from Auschwitz project has left an unforgettable educational and emotional mark on over 4000 students and teachers since its inception in 1999.

The visit included a tour of Auschwitz, group discussions and a commemorative ceremony at the ruins of the gas chamber.

"Throughout the visit, they were a credit to their colleges and schools and the District."