MORE than 500 students will get early Christmas presents when they graduate from a North-East university.

Students of the University of Sunderland will be awarded their degrees by the university's chancellor, Lord Puttnam, at four ceremonies at the Stadium of Light, today and tomorrow.

Undergraduates and postgraduates from the university's schools of business, arts, sciences, education and computing will receive their degrees alongside honorary graduates John Ward and Edward Leng.

Mr Ward, deputy lieutenant of Tyne and Wear and former regional director of Barclays Bank, receives an honorary fellowship for his outstanding contribution to the region's business and public life.

Mr Leng, training manager at TKA Tallent Chassis, in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham, and a founder member of the North-East Productivity Alliance, receives an honorary fellowship for his outstanding contribution to the region's business life.