A DOZEN pupils enjoyed a trip to the Lake District as a reward for their hard work.

The children from Stanley School of Technology were taken on an adventure week trip before Christmas in a challenge paid for by the Durham Villages Regeneration Company.

The children had to submit a CV and attend a job-style interview before being selected for the trip to Ullswater, where they took part in a series of team-building challenges including an overnight expedition, canoeing and raft construction.

The housing company - a partnership between Durham County Council and private company Keepmoat - is involved in a number of regeneration projects across County Durham and also supports community initiatives in the former pit villages where it operates such as the Outward Bound trips paid for through the Keepmoat Foundation.

Teacher, Rachael Atkinson, who helped organise the trip, said: "When DVRC approached the school about the project we jumped at the chance.

"Raising finance for things like this is a challenge so the opportunity to take pupils away was extremely welcome.

"The trip has been really beneficial and very enjoyable for everyone involved."

Coun Neil Foster, chair of DVRC, added: "Whilst bricks and mortar are essential ingredients of regeneration, so is developing the communities which live in the villages undergoing change."