THREE young soldiers from the North-East are returning to the region as part of a visit by one of the Army's most famous regiments.

Lance Corporal Joe Conley, from Crook, County Durham, Private Mark Bailey, from Durham City, and Private Simon Evans, from Sunderland, will be back on home territory as part of a ten-day tour of the region being undertaken by the 1st Battalion The Light Infantry.

The tour is designed to raise awareness of career opportunities in the regiment and the Army as a whole, and to give young people a chance to talk to soldiers.

The three soldiers have already served in locations around the world, including Cyprus, Jordan, Kenya and Sierra Leone.

Major Robin Davies said: "Simon, Joe and Mark are excellent examples of how young people can go from school-leaver to successful soldier in a very short time.

"They are very pleased to be coming home as part of this exercise, and I'm sure they will be able to answer any questions that local young people might have."

Battalion teams will be visiting more than a dozen locations throughout the region this month.

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