IT IS a double celebration for identical twins Sarah and Shirley Hitchon who are graduating from Newcastle University.

Sarah and Shirley, who grew up on their parents' dairy farm in Herefordshire, gained identical honours degrees in farm business management. Naturally, they are now looking for twin careers in the agriculture industry.

Dr Alan Younger, head of the university's Department of Agriculture, said: "Not only are Sarah and Shirley remarkably alike in their appearance, they have worked equally as hard as each other, and have achieved equally successful results."

During their time in Newcastle, both were keen members of the university's Agricultural Society.

"Being farmer's daughters and having always lived in the countryside, one of the attractions of coming to study at Newcastle University was to experience city life," said Shirley.

Nearly 3,000 undergraduates will graduate from Newcastle University this week during 20 ceremonies taking place over four days.

l A grandmother who could not read or write until she was 27 has graduated from college with a top award and the praise of lecturers ringing in her ears.

Impressed tutors at Newcastle College labelled 49-year-old Betty Simpson an ''inspiration'' after she graduated with an HNC in health and social care and a joint academy award for best achievement of the year.

Mrs Simpson, of Isabella Walk, Throckley, Newcastle, left school at 15 and worked as a dressmaker while bringing up her children before finally confessing her illiteracy to a friend.

She attended classes at Northumbria University for three years, learning to read and write, and in the past ten years has taken a BTec in social care, GCSEs in English language and literature, computer courses, British Sign Language courses and a City and Guilds in IT and communication.

The icing on her educational cake was graduating with the HNC in social care, on Friday, and she now plans to go a stage further and continue with an HND.

The mother-of-five is now working as a support assistant at a special needs school on Tyneside, which has always been her ambition.