ABOUT 70 students were presented with awards at the annual east Durham Vocational Skills Awards. The event at East Durham College’s new Peterlee Campus was attended by over 200 people, including families, teaching staff from all the local schools, Governors, the Deputy Mayor Peterlee Chris Metcalfe.

The vocational awards ranged from Applied Business and Horticulture to Catering and Brickwork, with winners from across the Year 10 and Year 11 categories.

Student of the Year 2009 was Stacey Taylor from Wellfield School - the first girl from the school to do the Young Apprenticeship in construction.

Not only did she excelled on the construction course but she was on target to achieve As and Bs in most of her GCSE subjects.

The awards were presented by actress Jennie McAlpine, known as Fiz from ITV’s Coronation Street.

She said: "It was wonderful to be invited to present the awards. I always like to be involved with initiatives that involve young people and celebrate their success, often in the face of adversity."

ends