NURSES in Darlington were pampered by beauty therapy students as the world celebrated their profession.

As part of International Nurse Day, NVQ students from Darlington College staged a pamper session at the town's Memorial Hospital.

International Nurse Day coincides with the birthday of Florence Nightingale and is marked around the world.

The students set up a portable salon in one of the hospital's education rooms and offered a host of treatments including back, face, hand and head massages, manicures, and pedicures.

The hospital restaurant also put on an international menu for the day and there was a cake to mark the occasion.

Darlington Memorial Hospital sister Kathryn Fawcett, who helped organise the event, said: "Nurses work unstintingly throughout the year, so it is nice that we can try and give them a little something back."

Darlington College beauty therapy programme leader Andrea Downing said: "Nurses do a fantastic job working long hours and very hard for the community, so we were delighted to help out by providing them with a pamper treat."