CADETS from across the North-East are marching to summer camp this year, thanks to a £2,000 donation from Newcastle Building Society.

The society has given the money to the North of England Cadet Forces Trust, which will use it to help more than 40 army, sea and air cadets raise enough money to attend camps in the Yorkshire Dales and the highlands of Scotland.

The camps are seen as the high point of the cadet training year and offer the chance for about 1,750 cadets, aged between 12 and 16, to spend up to two weeks sampling outdoor adventures.

However, each recruit must pay £40 for travel, food and some of the recreational activities.

The society's donation will benefit sea cadet corps, army cadet corps and air training corps throughout the region, from Berwick to Teesside.

Colonel John Anderson, the County Commandant of Northumbria Army Cadet Force, one of the beneficiaries of the donation, said: "Our aim is to invest in youth, and that is precisely what these camps do.

"They are tremendously popular among our cadets, about a third of whom are girls.

"For many of the cadets it will also be the first time they have been away from home, so the experience we can give them in teamwork, cooking for themselves and the thrill of camping outdoors is incredibly beneficial. It's also great fun."