TWELVE students from the North-East abseiled from a North-East bridge yesterday to raise the funds they need to travel to Uganda this summer.

The civil engineering students from Newcastle University are heading for the small town of Mbarara.

They will be using their skills to help build a community centre to serve the needs of about 35,000 young people in the surrounding area, in conjunction with a charity called Lasallian Developing World Projects.

The group will leave the UK for Uganda next month to continue work on the Mbarara project, which was started last year by another group of Newcastle University students.

Their aim is to raise £22,000 to cover their travel, and the costs of the materials and labour, which they will source locally in Uganda.

Organiser Kate Palmer, from Seaham, County Durham, said: "Taking part in the Mbarara project is giving us a great opportunity to put some of the skills we have learned at university to such worthwhile use."

Friends and family of the students also took part in the abseil, which is expected to raise £2,000 towards their funds.

Anyone who would like to support the Mbarara project is asked to contact 07717 755 822.