PUPILS and teachers in Hartlepool are to be rewarded for their hard work and achievement during a ceremony in the town.

Hartlepool Borough Council's education department is organising the Celebration of Success event as part of its Excellence in Cities initiative. It will take place at the town's College of Further Education next Saturday.

Twenty awards will be presented by actor Daniel Casey, who plays Sergeant Troy in TV's Midsomer Murders.

Each winner will receive a glass memento, gift voucher and certificate.

Prizes have been donated by education establishments and local businesses, including Durham University, Kings College Cambridge, the University of Teesside and Garlands Call Centre.

Jeremy Fitt, director of education at the council, said: "This is the first time we have organised an occasion like this, but I hope it will become a regular event.

"The awards ceremony is not just an occasion about rewarding high achievers, it also acknowledges the good progress individuals have made in a particular area of education."