HUNDREDS of teenagers who have benefited from a Prince's Trust project will gather to celebrate their achievements this week.

Pupils aged 14 to 16, from schools in the Durham, Hartlepool and Sunderland areas, are involved in the trust's XL Network initiative.

XL, shorthand for excel, was piloted by the trust two years ago in Durham, backed by the county's education authority and schools.

It provides training and facilities to give help and support to under-achieving youngsters, many of them truants, with the aim of helping them to rediscover their motivation and potential.

The 300 teenagers expected to attend Thursday's event, at Sunderland AFC's Stadium of Light, are members of 46 clubs set up in the region.

They will all receive certificates of achievement.

Pat Rogers, a community education worker in Durham, said: "I'm delighted with the phenomenal success of the seven clubs in the pilot year.

"A further 23 were established in the second year and I can now confirm there will be 52 clubs in Durham alone in the next academic year, with the possibility of 77 in total throughout the North-East."

Jill Burdis, social inclusion manager at Newton Aycliffe's Greenfield Community and Arts College, said it has had a positive impact.

"In some cases it has made the difference between inclusion and exclusion, while others have reached levels of initiative and responsibility I would not have dreamed possible," she said.

"The majority have tasted success in a variety of ways, from improved school attendance and social skills to increased confidence and esteem."