SCHOOLS in the North-East have been urged to be more outward-looking and forge greater links across the globe.

The message emerged from an unlikely meeting between five headteachers from the Gambia, in west Africa, and a former Durham pitman, who is now chairman of the county council.

Councillor Alan Fenwick, an ex-Seaham miner greeted the visiting party, in its first excursion out of Africa.

Their week-long visit is part of a reciprocal exchange, initiated when several headteachers from the North-East, including Christine Coxon, from St Godric's RC Primary School in Durham, travelled to the Gambia, in February.

Councillor Fenwick exchanged mementoes in a reception with the Gambian delegation in the chairman's room at County Hall, Durham, yesterday.

He said: "I'm delighted to welcome our visitors to County Durham and I hope their stay will spur more schools to go global.

"A great many schools in the county already have links with other parts of the world, including India, Brazil and Ghana, but the more links we develop, the greater the opportunity for our children to understand different cultures and become global citizens."

Funded by the British Council and organised by Development Direct, the visit is part of an initiative called Just Like You, which aims to link children across the globe via a world health project.

Children decide on a health priority in their own community, investigate it and devise an action plan for dealing with it by changing behaviour.

In the Gambia, there is a child-to-child learning technique passing advice and action plans between partner schools.

Schools in County Durham wishing to become involved in the project should contact the international office at County Hall, on 0191-383 3631.