YOUNG theatre group members are helping to show the impact of domestic violence in a new exhibition at Bishop Auckland town hall.

The exhibition, by Bishop Auckland Theatre Hooligans, comes in the wake of a week-long trip to the slums of Rio de Janeiro, in Brazil, last September.

The group visited community projects in the city's favelas, where violence at the hands of drug gangs and brutality in the home is an everyday experience.

On their return, they created an exhibition and video. The project, called The Big Idea in Cidade de Deus, was sponsored by the Key Fund, Big Idea County Durham, Domestic Violence in County Durham and other agencies.

The trip inspired Andrew Marley, 18, from Bishop Auckland, to go on to university. He said: "I didn't want to go to university before but I was really inspired by the people I met in Rio. They have so little but they never give up."

The exhibition continues until Saturday.

Published: 27/01/2005