A MACEDONIAN woman campaigning to be allowed to stay at her North-East home won an army of supporters at an international women's event in the region.

Lile Dimitrievski and her husband Marjun have been told they must leave Redcar, which has been their home for the past 18 months.

But the couple are fighting to stay in this country because of the detrimental effect returning to their war-torn country would have on their two sons, Sasha, 12 and eight-year-old Miki.

The boys are doing well at school and have picked up Redcar accents. Their father would also be arrested if he returned home because he is a conscientious objector and would be forced to join the Macedonian Army and turn a gun on his friends.

On Friday, Mrs Dimitrievski was asked to speak at an International Women's Day event at Stockton. She told the audience how her family had fled from the country and about their predicament.

She also spoke of the anti-deportation campaign which started in Redcar to persuade an immigration appeal tribunal judge to allow the family to stay in England for the sake of the boys' education.

More than 100 people signed the petition and after Mrs Dimitrievski was asked to speak again, all pledged their support to the campaign.

Pete Widlinski, from the North East Coalition for Asylum Rights, said the response was 'absolutely fantastic' and added that it was hoped the tribunal would make a decision on the family's fate in the next few weeks