STUDENTS from two sixth form colleges will travel to Spain on a ten-day fact-finding mission relating to drugs awareness and youth culture.

The students from Prior Pursglove College, Guisborough, and Stockton Sixth Form College, will be talking to young people living and studying in Avila, near Madrid.

The exchange visit for the 17 students is being funded by the British Council and will take place from February 7 to 16.

Carol Wennington, a Spanish teacher at Stockton Sixth Form College, said: "The visit will be thought provoking and very interesting, and it will give students a first-class opportunity to use their language skills to gain knowledge about the lives of young people in Spain.

"The group will be staying at the homes of other students, who in turn will come to Stockton and Guisborough as guests of students and staff at the end of February and in March. Built into the trip is a visit to a drugs rehabilitation centre, as well as cultural visits to Salamanca and Madrid."