A campaign to stop a Macedonian family from being deported from the North-East goes to Manchester today.

Marjun and Lile Dimitrievski fled to Redcar, east Cleveland, 18 months ago, but have been told they must return to their home near the Kosovo border.

They say Mr Dimitrievski faces imprisonment because he is a conscientious objector.

The couple hope to stay in the country for the sake of their two sons' education. Sasha, 12, attends West Redcar School and eight-year-old Miki is a pupil at Lakes Primary School.

The boys have settled in well and have picked up local accents.

Today, the family travels to Manchester to take part in the National Coalition of Anti-Deportations campaign, which brings together people in the same predicament as the Dimitrievski family.

The family's plight has attracted a high level of interest among the group because of the potential effect on the boys' education if they return to the former Yugoslavia.

The family is also to approach Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council to ask for its support.

Redcar MP Vera Baird is behind the campaign and has agreed that other North-East MPs and MEPs can be asked for their support.

Pete Widlinski, of the North East Coalition for Asylum Rights, is asking the boys' teachers to write to the Home Secretary and for Sasha and Miki's friends to write to the Government in support of their classmates