TWO teenagers battling against the odds in life have a special date - by royal appointment.

Amputee Paul Mann and fellow 15-year-old Jonathon Osborne will carry the Queen's Jubilee Baton through their home town of Hartlepool on July 7, when it is returned to the UK after being carried across 21 Commonwealth countries.

Both are members of the Reach for Success basketball project, a partnership between Hartlepool Borough Council, Hartlepool police and the Teesside Mohawks basketball team.

Glynis Hansen, council sports development officer, said: "We thought it was appropriate for Jonathon and Paul to represent Hartlepool because they have succeeded against difficult circumstances when it would have been much easier to give in."

The baton relay starts from Buckingham Palace on Monday - Commonwealth Day.