WE are two young Palestinians who would like to thank the people of Durham for helping to make our year in their city and county so worthwhile and enjoyable.

In 2008, we were fortunate to gain Durham Palestine Educational Trust scholarships to study for Masters degrees at Durham University. The main aim of this charity (dpet.org.uk) is to aid the economic and social development of Palestine.

Since Palestine has almost no natural resources, the only way to develop our economy is through education and training in high-level skills.

The skills and experience in translating and computer science that we gained in Durham will now help numerous other Palestinians.

From the bottom of our hearts, we want to thank donors to the trust, the excellent staff of the university and all the good people of Durham who made us so welcome.

We forged strong friendships with people in Durham and elsewhere in the world and developed a better understanding of other people and their cultures.

In turn, we introduced them to the rich aspects of Palestinian culture and the just cause of the Palestinian people.

We will never forget your generosity, your kindness and your humour. God bless you all.

Shadia Hamida, from Ramallah, MA Arabic/English Translating, and Mohammed Jabari, from Hebron, MSc Internet and Distributed Systems, Palestine.