A TEENAGER is aiming to raise £3,500 to fund a trip to China, where he will spend a year teaching English.

Neil Thomas, 18, from Chester-le-Street, is to start work in a Chinese secondary school in September, after completing his A-levels at St Leonard's RC Comprehensive School, in Durham.

The trip has been organised through Project Trust, which sends more than 5,000 young people a year abroad.

He said: "I am eager to discover China, not in the tourist sense, but through being able to become actively involved with local people."

He is hoping to raise the £3,550 needed to pay for his year through a series of fundraising events.

Anyone interested in supporting Neil is asked to call 0191-410 4977.