NINE teachers are to be locked in a Teesside school for three nights in a fundraising event inspired by recent reality television shows.

Parents and pupils at Yarm Preparatory School will be able to vote each morning to evict three of the captives, who will be locked in the resource centre.

IT teacher Ian McKay came up with the idea after watching I'm A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here and has come up with daily tasks to make the charity week more interesting.

Headteacher Gillian Taylor said: "There is a great deal of excitement going round the school and the children are talking about who they are going to vote for and why.

"The teachers are all very keen and were happy to take part. But we do not want them to suffer too much, though, because they have to be fit for lessons the next day."

The teachers' incarceration starts on Wednesday, March 12 and the final group will be released on March 14 - Comic Relief Day.

Local business have donated prizes, including an overnight stay at Tall Trees Hotel for the winner, as well as food to keep the captives going.

Students will have to pay 20p per vote, while parents can block vote in multiples of £5 for their chosen staff member.

The money raised will help Butterwick Hospice, RNLI, Teesside Hospice, Multiple Sclerosis (Darlington), and Macmillan Cancer Care.