CHILDREN in one of the most poverty-stricken parts of the world will be sporting Newcastle, Sunderland, Middlesbrough and Darlington football shirts from next week.

Carol Charlton, from Darlington, sponsors two children in Dakar, the capital of Senegal, West Africa, and is visiting them next week.

She has collected more than 100 second-hand football shirts to take out for the children in the impoverished urban community.

Mrs Charlton, whose husband Steve is a team doctor at Darlington, said: "I have been out twice before to Dakar to visit the children.

"Football shirts are the thing to have out there - a real status symbol for both children and adults - but because they are so poor it is difficult.

"I thought if I could collect enough unwanted shirts, I could put smiles on their faces."

Police in Darlington, Newton Aycliffe and Bishop Auckland have donated dozens of shirts, as has the congregation of St Augustine's Church, in Darlington.

As well as North-East football teams, she has Manchester United, Liverpool and Blackburn Rovers shirts.

The mother-of-three started sponsoring Naguette and Satoumata, both six, after seeing an advert for the charity Plan International on TV.

"I have a six-year-old son, James, and I wanted him to understand how people less fortunate than him lived," she said.

"When he is older I want to take him out to Senegal as well.

"I think I am the only sponsor who has actually been out to Dakar because it isn't a pretty place. Most people like to sponsor children in rural villages and visit them there."

MEP Stephen Hughes has been working on Mrs Charlton's behalf to allow her an extra baggage allowance for her flight to Senegal, to carry all the shirts out there.