TWO schoolgirls are to get awards for their outstanding achievements after raising £2,500 for cancer care.

Jenna Rose and Hannah St Julian, both 15, of Chester-le-Street, are the brains behind the Park View Community School Talent Show.

They started it last year in aid of Marie Curie Cancer Care and raised £1,000.

The success of the live music, dance acts and stand-up comedy routines has been repeated this year and the total raised was £1,500.

The girls organised everything from ticket sales and booking acts to fundraising and media liaison.

They have won Chester-le-Street District Council's Young Achiever Award and will be presented with their prizes at a ceremony at the Civic Centre later this month.

The school's year ten co-ordinator Nick Weaver has also nominated them for a separate community award.

He said: "What they have done is breathtaking. These are two young people who have organised absolutely everything to raise money for charity.

"They are a credit to themselves, their families and the school.

"They are a shining beacon of today's youth."