A BEAUTY spot in north Durham is to be given a facelift.

Staff at Newcastle College will join volunteers, recruited from across the region by Durham County Council's Countryside Service, to start the big clear up on October 26.

The volunteers, who work at Newcastle Sixth Form College, will undertake restoration work along the Derwent walk, an eleven-mile path following the track-bed of the long-disused Derwent Valley Railway, near the head of the Derwent Reservoir.

Deborah Hannaby, countryside volunteer co-ordinator at Durham County Council, said: "It's fantastic to have the Newcastle College staff on board for this important project.

"Our volunteers come in all shapes and sizes but share the common goal of making a difference to their local countryside.

"We have activities to suit everyone and volunteering is a great way to learn new skills, make new friends and get fit."

The amateur conservationists will undertake repairs to steps along the walk, as well as clearing overhanging branches and vegetation from the pathway, a popular destination for ramblers, horse-riders and cyclists.

Teachers, managers and the school's director will step out of their classrooms and offices to hit the trail as part of a programme that offers staff at the college paid time off from work to volunteer for charitable projects.

John Sexton, director of the Newcastle Sixth Form College, said: "We are delighted to be involved with this important project. At Newcastle College, we recognise our social, economic and environmental responsibility to our stakeholders, whether they are students, employees or the wider community.

"The sixth form team are all looking forward to getting out from behind our desks and getting our hands dirty for such a worthwhile cause."