A SUNDERLAND University graduate has found full-time employment in the region after leaving his home in China to avoid the Sars virus.

HARRY LI, 25, first came to England in 1999 to study for a business and finance degree.

After spending at year at university in Brighton, he moved to Sunderland for the final two years, then returned to China, where he worked for Deutsche Bank, in Beijing, just as the respiratory virus hit.

Mr Li, who comes from the central Chinese city of Wuhan, which has a population of eight million, said: "I didn't know anyone personally who was affected, but it was really bad, very scary. I saw trolleys on the street with people lying on them and everyone, including me, wore masks."

He decided to escape the outbreak by returning to the UK to study for a masters degree in e-commerce at Sunderland.

He has now joined Training in Childcare, a professional training and childcare consultancy, in Boldon, near Sunderland, as finance and IT administrator.

The company provides early years and playwork training to organisations such as SureStart and Early Years Partnerships across County Durham, Sunderland and South Tyneside.

Angela Brown, founder of Training in Childcare, said: "Harry is a real asset to the business, bringing excellent professional skills as well as a great personality. As a company, we are very keen to support our local university by offering employment to graduates and it has worked very well for us."