TWO students from the region who spent months living on a goat farm in Fiji have been honoured for their voluntary work in the community there.

Davina Thompson and Paul Davison were chosen from 25,000 volunteers to win the Gap Activity Projects' (Gap) Volunteer of the Year awards.

The organisation is a charity responsible for arranging trips to 24 countries.

Paul Davison, from Sedgefield, County Durham, and Davina Thompson, from Newcastle, both 19, went to Locoto, in Fiji, last year.

Mr Davison, who is now studying law at Cambridge University, said: "I did a Gap year because it seemed like a worthwhile thing to do.

"Some people go backpacking in their year out, but when you actually go and live and work in an area, you learn much more about the people.

"It was hard work, but an amazing experience, and one that I might not ever get the chance to do again."

The work that Gap undertakes in Fiji allows young men and women to take on challenging work in children's orphanages and Red Cross schools, fundraising, educating and raising awareness of issues.

Conditions are tough and food and accommodation is extremely basic, but the pair, strangers before the trip, developed ways to cope. Miss Thompson, an ancient history student at St Andrews, in Scotland, said: "The whole mindset we developed while we were away was to throw ourselves into the challenge, no matter how wet, sore and tired we were.

"We could never have anticipated the challenges involved in bringing uncomfortable subjects into schools and the community, giving voice to the desire to discuss taboo subjects such as HIV/Aids, sexually transmitted infections, as well as being approachable in our local branch for everyday administration issues and fundraising."

Lynn Bushell, of Gap, said: "All our volunteers do great work, but we give the award to people who have gone over and above the call of duty.

"In this instance, it was all the work that they had done for the Fiji Red Cross, which was celebrating its 35th year of independence from the British Red Cross, and they both did a lot to help with the celebrations on top of their other responsibilities."