A UNIVERSITY lecturer is following in her husband's footsteps after winning a national teaching award.

Durham University English lecturer Dr Pamela Knights travels to London in July to receive a £50,000 excellence in teaching award from the National Teaching Fellowship Scheme (NTFS).

Twelve months ago she accompanied husband, Teesside University English lecturer Professor Ben Knights, to the ceremony after he was awarded a similar sum in the 2001 scheme.

They were selected to be among 20 annual winners from 82 candidates put forward by higher education establishments.

Dr Knights said: "It's a complete coincidence, because you have to be selected as your university's candidate, so there was no automatic right of entry.

"People at last year's ceremony jokingly said I should try for the award, and I have.

"I never dreamed I would win, but now it's Ben who'll be joining me this year," she said.

NTFS fellowships, which were launched two years ago, are designed to recognise and reward lecturers or learning support staff who have demonstrated excellence in teaching during their work.

Prof Knights' accolade has helped him develop an active reading scheme with the help of a project assistant.

It has seen his students at Teesside tackling different forms of creative writing.

Dr Knights, an expert in children's and American fiction, plans to put her award to good use by developing a project looking at what the modern-day child is reading.

As part of the research, she will compare their reading material with what her students read in their younger days.

The couple, who met while lecturing at Durham University, have 58 years' collective experience teaching in settings from university to grammar schools and to prison inmates