A PAIR of DJs who have been teaching youngsters how to spin the decks enjoyed a sedate afternoon with the Queen.

Karl Frampton and Pete Smith, from Safe in Tees Valley, took tea at a Royal garden party at Buckingham Palace last month.

They were accompanied by Pete's wife, Judith, who also works at Safe in Tees Valley, as an intervention worker.

Resident DJs at the Cornerhouse, Middlesbrough, and promoters of club night Dusted, the pair became involved with Safe in Tees Valley as volunteers with the Youth Inclusion Project (YIP).

Passing on their DJ skills and working alongside young people at risk proved to be a life-changing experience for them both, and they have since been recruited as full-time members of staff.

As team leaders for the mobile projects, they are responsible for the two buses which travel around Middlesbrough and Redcar to tempt youngsters to get involved with the programme.

They were nominated to attend the palace party by last year's High Sheriff for North Yorkshire and Deputy Lieutenant for North Yorkshire, Caroline Thornton-Berry, who met them at a Safe in Tees Valley event.

Mr Frampton said: "When the invitation arrived, Pete and I thought it was someone playing a practical joke on us. It took a while to sink in, once we found it was for real. It was an amazing day that I'll always remember."

Mr Smith added: "We were held up at the hotel and arrived at Buckingham Palace a little bit later than expected. When we walked into the palace, everyone turned to see if we were the Royal Family."