TWO Darlington students hope to qualify for the British Karate Championships.

Jenny Cooke, 16, from Ferryhill, and Shaun Dawson, 18, from Woodham, are both students at Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College.

Jenny is a black belt first dan and Shaun is a black belt second dan.

They both train in Woodham, at Zanshin-Kai, where they are coached by Andrew Dawson, Dave Noble and Ian Gibson.

Jenny recently won the Tyne and Wear Open Competition and qualified for the English Championships in Sheffield. That could lead to her competing in the British Championships in six months' time.

Shaun has high hopes of joining Jenny at the British Championships and is training for the Isle of Man championships over the Easter weekend.

Jenny and Shaun train six hours a week and teach others, as well as studying A-levels.

Anita Blackburn, assistant principal at Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College, said: "Both Shaun and Jenny are remarkable young people. They organise their lives effectively to achieve high standards in both their sport and academic studies.

"In addition, they find time for other activities. Jenny recently ran for president of the college's Student Association and conducted a rigorous and high-profile campaign. Their success is well-deserved."