A GROUP of fundraisers raised more than £5,000 when they took part in a charity jailbreak.

Ten teams of two convicts set off from Durham on Friday as part of ChildLine's Great Escape challenge and attempted to get as far away as possible in 24 hours.

The convicts, dressed in distinctive uniforms and joined by fake shackles, were not allowed to spend any money on travel and relied on the help of family, friends and members of the public to help them reach their destination.

The teams made it to destinations across Britain, including North Wales and Edinburgh, while one pair reached Calais.

The winners were Jim Gardiner and Bill Hall, who work for the police scientific support unit in Sunderland, and managed to reach Frankfurt.

Childline fundraising organiser Sylvia Stoneham said: "It went really well and everyone had a fantastic time.

"It's too early to say how much was raised, but it's definitely more than £5,000."

She said: "ChildLine Yorkshire and North East receives over 1,100 attempted calls from local children every day but we can currently answer only a third of these calls.

"Children may have to dial several times before they can speak to a counsellor and tragically, some may give up altogether.

"Our message to children is to please keep trying and you will get through."